Lost In You
by Scarlet has Fantasy Issues
Summary: Where do you turn when your best friend's father is the person your blood destined you to be with? VeelaOC/Severus Snape...Rated for future chapters...
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hi guys! It's me again; back with another story for the HP fandom. This story has nothing to do with "Those Who Dance Within the Flame" and doesn't follow the actual books completely. Dumbledore is dead, but Snape isn't. Other things might be missing or different, but creative license dictates what happens. **

**I borrowed the idea of some key aspects to the tale from a lovely author on this site, who kindly agreed to let me use it. Thank you for that, my friend!**

**And with all that done, here's the first chapter…**

**OOOOOOOOO**

"Miss Raven, Miss Marina, this is something that should have been brought to my attention the moment you found out," Professor McGonagall said, her lips pressed in a thin, disapproving line as she looked at the two teenage girls. "Not when you find that you have acquired a new taste that puts every one of your female Housemates in danger."

"For the record, Professor," the girl with jet black hair said, placing a hand on her friend's shoulder. "We didn't think it would get this bad. And Avonlea didn't know that her bloodlust would be increased when she got pissed." Her smile turned wry. "It's not like her mother was very open with answers about what will happen now that she's getting closer to being a real adult…"

Avonlea wiped a cloth against her lips and stared at the spattering of blood that stained it. Her blue eyes turned up towards her friend, who was defending her. "Carissa…Mom did say that there would be vampire tendencies…" she whispered.

"Yeah, a little too late," Carissa said, squeezing the girl's shoulder before looking back at McGonagall. "Please Professor; don't kick Lea out of the school. She didn't really mean to attack those girls. I would have, but not her."

"Miss Marina, your charms may work on students your age and younger, but not in this office." The older witch rose to her feet. "As we cannot know if Miss Raven will succumb to attacking other students, we must do something about it. And no, it will not involve her being removed from the school. She will be removed from the Slytherin dormitories and be placed in another part of the castle, to prevent anything like this from happening again. And it will _not_ happen again, do you understand Miss Raven?"

Avonlea nodded, turning her mother's letter over and over in her hands. "Yes Professor…"

"Good. Now, the girls you attacked remember nothing of this incident," McGonagall said, gesturing for Avonlea to rise from her seat and for the two girls to follow her. "And this is one secret that the school will not have the privilege of knowing. No matter how much your Veela heritage shows through your appearance, no one knows that the price you must pay to stop yourself from becoming a vampire. It will stay this way, but you must find your mate soon. You have a limited amount of time left to find him."

The blonde remained silent, sending a nervous glance in the direction of her friend as they followed McGonagall towards the entrance of the headmaster's office. Carissa's hand found hers and squeezed it, trying for strength through osmosis. McGonagall turned when they were just outside her office and frowned.

"Miss Raven, do you have any idea who your mate may be?" McGonagall asked, staring Avonlea dead in the eye. "Any ideas at all?"

_Thank God I was taught Occlumency_, Avonlea thought, keeping her face from revealing anything. "No Professor. I don't know who it could be."

Carissa gave her a look behind McGonagall's back, but kept silent. Appearing to be satisfied with the girl's answer, the headmistress turned and said a name under her breath. With a soft pop, a House Elf appeared and bowed his head at the three women. McGonagall told the House Elf where to take the girls and to bring their things with them when they did. She turned her steely gaze on the two girls once the directions were done and acknowledged.

"You are to let no one you do not fully trust into your new lodgings," the headmistress ordered. "I can only do so much to keep your secret a secret and if you act out again, there is very little I can do for you. I will not be erasing memories again, so be careful and keep your temper." Her eyes softened a little and she placed a hand on Avonlea's shoulder in an almost motherly fashion. "We will get you through this _before _you become a vampire…"

The blonde nodded and gave a half-hearted smile. McGonagall handed Carissa a small piece of parchment and shot one last warning look before turning and retreating back into her office. Carissa gave Avonlea an odd look and opened her mouth to say something.

"Young Mistresses," the House Elf said, bowing low. "Please follow me."

Avonlea bowed her head and let Carissa pull her along after her. Neither of the girls acknowledged any of the students that they moved past. It wouldn't have mattered if they played nice; being Slytherin had labeled them as untrustworthy. Even after the Wizard War had passed and some Slytherins had been seen as good people, there were still heavy feelings of hate shown towards the house of Purebloods. And Carissa, being found out to be the only daughter of Severus Snape – a small hero and enemy blend – was often at the brunt of the hate.

The two girls had been friends for most of their lives, growing up in the same house that contained dozens of women. Their mothers were prostitutes – both were pureblood but only one serviced all wizards – and neither girl were keen to follow in their mother's footsteps so they studied hard. Carissa had a knack for Potions which saved her friend's ass and helped her build a business of selling Love Potions. Avonlea had a knack for spell casting and magical creature studies – which helped Carissa out of several sticky situations.

Avonlea gently pulled her arm away from her friend as they followed the House Elf to a tower that she didn't know had any secret rooms. The little creature turned and gestured at the painting of a very handsome wizard, silently bidding them to say the password. Carissa unfolded the scrap of parchment and glanced down at the words scribbled on it. A snort of laughter came from her lean body and she showed it to Avonlea.

"_Dragon Bogeys_?" Avonlea whispered, an eyebrow arching up in confusion. "Seriously?"

"No one will say that, that's for sure," Carissa said, looking up at the painting of the wizard. "Dragon Bogeys, good sir."

The wizard cracked a smile and swept his hat off in a low bow. "Indeed," he said and the painting swung open to reveal a passageway. "Have a lovely evening, ladies."

Carissa reached back and pulled Avonlea through the hole in the wall, yanking her into a lovely common room, rather like the one that they had left in the dungeons. A warm fire was already roaring in the fireplace with two overstuffed chairs placed on the carpet in front of it. Two sets of stairs rose at the back of the room, leading off to separate rooms Avonlea guessed. There was another door of to the side and Carissa made a beeline for it, sticking her head just inside the door and a huge smile crossed her face.

"Lea, come look!" she ordered, motioning her friend forward. "We get our own bathroom and it is awesome!"

Avonlea shook her head and turned to look at the House Elf as he wrung his hands together. "Young Mistresses is the room to your liking?" he asked, his large eyes darting from Avonlea to Carissa and back to Avonlea.

"It'll be even better when I invite Katia and Cassius over for a little fun," Carissa muttered, more to herself than to anyone else.

"Yes, sir," Avonlea said, smiling down at the House Elf. "Thank you."

The House Elf bowed low again and vanished with a small pop. Avonlea brushed back her blonde hair and sat down on one of the overstuffed chairs, tapping her fingers against her knees. Carissa let the bathroom door close and glided over to her friend, folding her arms as she regarded the blonde with all-knowing black eyes.

"You lied to her," Carissa said after a few moments. "And she didn't know it, which is a big deal for McGonagall, but still…Lea, why didn't you tell her that you know who your mate is?"

"Because I don't _know_," Avonlea muttered, not looking at her friend. "I have a _feeling_ that the guy may be my mate, but that's it. He obviously doesn't have the same feeling because he looks at me like I'm a bug."

"He looks at everyone like they're a bug," Carissa pointed out before stabbing her finger at her own chest. "Even me… That's just how he is. And I can always see if there's something hiding in his -"

"No!" Avonlea protested, shaking her head furiously. "You can't tell him or let anyone know about it. I don't want to be the laughing stock of the castle if it turns out that he's not the one that can stop the vampirism from taking over. It's already bad enough that people go out of their way to torture me. Why should I give them more fodder when I'm not completely sure?"

Carissa leaned against the arm of the chair and sighed. "It's not like we have a lot of time left, Lea. You only have until your next birthday – three months, two weeks, and three days – to find the guy and mate or get turned into a full-fledged vampire." The daughter of Snape rubbed her arm where a soft flush of pink tinted the too pale flesh. "And I can only offer so much blood before you get really hungry and drain me."

"I'm not…I'm not going to drain you. I just…I need to learn more about the Veela race, unless you know something more about them than I do?"

"I only know what your mother wrote in that letter. And that wasn't very helpful or much of a letter." Carissa shrugged her shoulders. "We'll have to do some research on our own before you get bad and maybe Dad can help us? We could ask him." Avonlea shot her friend a dirty look. "All right, _I_ can ask him about the books we could use to learn more about Veela."

Avonlea sighed and ran her fingers through her hair, tugging gently at the roots. "This…this is a complete nightmare. And all I want to do is wake up from it and find that the school year is over and that a really hot wizard has proposed to me."

"Pssht! A really hot wizard? Sorry Lea, but Cassius is mine. Just like Katia. You're gonna have to find someone else," Carissa said with a small grin. "And you know that if you had your way, you'd just read your life away in a house in the middle of nowhere, where no one would bother you or make you talk."

"The ideal life for me…"

"And that's scarily pathetic." The dark haired girl glanced at the fire. "When we said that we wouldn't become our mothers, I didn't think you'd be who you are now. You may think that people pick on you because you're the daughter of a pureblood prostitute, but that's not true. They pick on you because you don't fight back. You take their words into you and retreat farther into yourself…An easy target." She pointed at the blood staining the collar of Avonlea's shirt. "Lea, building up all that anger results in that and if the vampiric part of you gets stronger, you'll need to find other ways to get that anger out. You could like…punch someone in the face or curse them. We are witches after all. Magic can be used against other witches."

"Not outside of class."

"It's only against the rules if you get caught. Punching also works outside of class. It always works for me."

"You mean, Snape gets you out of the trouble when you start Muggle-type fights…Not all of us have that luxury, Rissa."

"Eh, they do when they're my friends. Most of the time anyway…Depends on Dad's mood and how generous he's feeling." The raven haired girl turned and glanced at the door. "Do you want to go to the library and see if there is anything helpful in the dusty old records? Like how to tell who the mate of a Veela really is?"

"Not tonight. It's late and I don't want to test Snape's generosity on this evening…Tomorrow, after dinner we can look."

"Okay. I'm going to go get Cassius and Katia, to break in the new bed you know. Aren't you glad that we have separate rooms now?"

Avonlea waved her friend off, hiding a smile behind a carefully placed hand. Once the door closed behind Carissa, the smile fell away. The blonde looked back at the fire and swiped her tongue across her bottom lip. The sharp taste of blood clung to her – blood that wasn't hers or Carissa's for once – causing the girl to shiver. Her eyes closed and she remembered the smell of the man she _felt_ she was destined to be with by her breeding.

Smoke, old parchment, the smell of the coming rain…All of it was him and so much more, but it didn't make any sense.

_How can it be him? Wouldn't I have recognized it sooner? Maybe my senses are tricking me…Maybe I was wrong? Or picking up someone else's scent, so similar to his? This can't be. Not like this, ever._

Avonlea's blue eyes danced with the reflected fire light and she hugged her knees to her chest. She had no idea how she could tell anyone what she felt. Yes, Carissa was her best friend and that was the problem. How could she maintain her friendly – almost sisterly – relationship with her best friend when she was getting all the signs that Carissa's father was her destined mate? How could she be falling for Severus Snape?

**OOOOOOOOO**

**A/N: Just a small taste, I guess. I don't have it in my mind to let this story be as long as "Those…" because longer fics like that really aren't my thing. I also have many other stories to be working on and I should mention that my dominant wrist is a bitch, so there may not be consistent updates for a while…I will do my best to get the updates up when I can, so please be patient and kind. Trolls are only welcome if I can turn them into virtual smores to be shared by all who want some. Thanks again and have a nice day! -Scarlet**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hey guys! It's been a really long time since I touched this story last. My bad. I just haven't had much focus on this and my other projects on this site because of homework from college, scatterbrains, and focus on getting another one of my personal pieces published in the real world…So, yeah. This update was long overdue a long time ago…**

**Please enjoy.**

**OOOOOOOOO**

Avonlea had Defense Against the Dark Arts class with Carissa later that next day. Most of their classes were shared by the mere luck of having similar interests and skill levels. Carissa was in a higher level Potions class though while Avonlea was in Hagrid's Magical Creatures class. A sigh of relief had passed through the room when people realized that there wouldn't be any major accidents in Potions class again as long as Avonlea remained out of the dungeons.

She knew she was far from safe the instant she entered the classroom of the darkest man in the school. Even with her best friend – his daughter – at her side and the skill she had in that class, she knew that she was walking on constantly thin ice. Carissa sat next to her, drawing lazily on the corner of her parchment instead of taking notes with her boyfriend and girlfriend sitting close by while Avonlea took more notes than was probably necessary.

The students of Hogwarts used to be absolutely terrified of Snape because of his no-nonsense attitude and the way his voice as quiet as a wasp would hit them like a whip. Now that the war was over and he was revealed to be human like the rest of the world, they were more inclined to ignore his previous rules and toed the line between obedience and rebellion.

Her eyes remained glued on her notes as Professor Snape moved around the front of the classroom. She tried to tell her lungs to stop searching out his scent and her mind to stop processing the idea that he could be her mate. The very idea of him being able to snoop into the minds of students had her face flooding with heat and her quill scribbling down notes as the professor continued to speak.

"One final question remains," Professor Snape said from the front of the classroom, standing before the chalkboard covered in his perfect penmanship. "If the person I call upon can answer the question correctly, I will forget to assign a ten page paper as homework."

The majority of the class perked up at that news. They all wanted that question to be answered because of the day being Friday, but they also knew that whatever the question was, that it had to be super hard and probably not in the book at all. They held their breath as Snape's gaze moved slowly over them.

"Who was the first person to successfully derive the potion necessary to keep a werewolf harmless during the period of their Change?" Snape asked, folding his arms over his chest.

Someone squirmed from behind Avonlea, obviously knowing the answer. She glanced out of the corners of her eyes and saw the blank look on Carissa's face. It always surprised her when the girl didn't know an answer to something potion related, considering who her father was. But she knew the answer and hastily scribbled it on the corner of her paper. She was just about to shove the paper into her friend's line of sight when she heard her name.

"Miss Raven," Snape's voice hit her like a whip. "Would you care to give the answer? Should you have it in mind, of course…?"

Heat rose into Avonlea's face as she realized how many stares were suddenly upon her. She could feel the intensity of their stares even as she stared wild-eyed at the chalkboard beyond Snape's head. Her heart thudded painfully loud in her chest, making her nervous about who could hear it. She could practically hear the threats coming from the minds of her fellow classmates and the feelings of their hate grow the longer she stayed silent. Her body trembled under the stares and she had to bite her bottom lip to keep herself from throwing up.

"Miss Raven," Snape prompted with no less acid than he had shared with the other students before her. "Time is running out."

Carissa bumped Avonlea's arm with her elbow and whispered, "Say something, Lea. Say the answer."

Avonlea's fingers tightened on the quill in her hand to the point that it threatened to snap between them. "Rissa," she breathed through her teeth. "I can't…I just…"

"Miss Raven?" Snape's voice caused her to flinch.

Avonlea lowered her gaze to the wood of the desk in front of her. Carissa grabbed the parchment and peered at the answer that Avonlea had written down. She thrust her hand up in the air and wiggled her fingers.

"Sir! I know the answer!" she exclaimed.

Snape's dark gaze burned briefly on his daughter. "Good for you, Miss Marina. However, I did not ask if you knew what the answer was. I asked Miss Raven and her time to answer is running out."

"But -!"

"Be silent, Miss Marina or points will be taken away from your House."

Carissa lowered her hand and crossed her arms tightly, sinking back in her seat. "Bastard…" she breathed, staring at him with the intensity of Hellfire.

"Ten points from Slytherin," Snape said in his waspish voice. "Miss Raven, speak or don't. Just don't waste my time."

Avonlea opened her mouth and closed it again. "I…"

OOOOOOOOO

Snape felt the hate of the class fall away from him and onto the shoulders of the blonde friend of his daughter. He did not miss the hellfire glares that they sent in Avonlea Raven's directions; he merely turned away from the scene and started erasing the blackboard. The thought of her inability to come up with the answer to his very simple question and therefore making him endure the grading of numerous papers had made him a little peeved too.

_I shouldn't be surprised_, Snape told himself. _While her papers and her magical skills have promise, she lacks the voice to do anything without Carissa as her voice…Pity._

"Lea, go wait outside," he heard his daughter's voice ground out. "Katia, Cassius, wait with her or go eat. I'll be just a few minutes."

The quiet shuffle of bags, papers, and feet told Snape that the three named students were sweeping out of the room. He turned in time to see the young Avonlea glance his way with that uncertain look in her eyes. When she felt his stare on her, color flooded her ivory colored face and she turned away. The door closed behind her, taking that weird Fae-like creature from his sight.

"Dad!" Carissa growled, startling him with that word.

Snape turned his gaze upon the only child he knew that he would ever be blessed with. Or cursed with, depending on how he was feeling about it all. He saw very little of himself in the girl's appearance – her hair had the faint sheen of oil that plagued his – which never eluded the opinions of the other whores that had helped raise her. She had his dark eyes though and his ever-pale skin. Carissa also bore his talents at potion making, wielding magic, and Occlumency. The girl was easy to be angered as he was, but her anger was shown more in louder exclamations and the use of her fists rather than evil glares and waspish words that bit like acid into the person that angered him.

"Carissa," Snape said, allowing the desk to provide a natural barrier between him and the angry child before him. "Don't you have a class to be heading to?"

"You are a rat bastard, you know that!" Carissa spat at him, slamming her hands onto the desk. "A completely rotten, sick, rat bastard!"

"Language, Carissa."

"English!" Carissa growled her usual answer. "How could you do that? Right in front of me!"

Snape sighed. "I suppose you are talking about your friend's question that she failed to answer…Do not think that you can con me to get out of the paper. You must do as the other students do in this classroom."

"I could care less about the homework! I could care less about the other students! All I care about right now is how you screwed Avonlea over!" She leaned forward, glaring even darker than his own glare ever could. "You know that she doesn't like to speak in front of people when there is pressure on her to get the words right! And you know that the class already hates her because she's a know-it-all, Slytherin, and silent when they have other plans! And yet, you still singled her out as the scapegoat for you to assign a pointless paper!"

"Carissa, your friend is going to have to find her voice if she wishes to get anywhere in the world. If she cannot find it, then she will never amount to anything. She has promise, but she's squandering it through her fear of speaking aloud. And promise can only get you so far." His eyes narrowed. "Now get out of my sight or I shall give you detention away from Miss Raven and your lovers for a month."

The young witch straightened. "Your threats for detention and points don't work on me anymore, Dad! I want you to stay off of Lea's back and don't make her do something that the class will hate her for! Or I will make your life hell."

Snape glowered at her. "Threatening a professor is a crime in this school punishable by the severest terms, Carissa. And as your father, you must obey what I say and not question my actions. What would your mother say?"

"Some dad you are," Carissa spat at him. "Mom would be on my side if she was here to see what you're doing to my best friend! If Lea didn't need me, I would gladly get expelled from here so I wouldn't have the temptation to beat your ass every time I see you!"

"Carissa!" Snape hissed at her. "You are trying my patience! Get out of my classroom and do your homework! I expect fifteen pages on my desk on Monday!"

His daughter gave him a look straight from Hell which chilled him with icy fire. She glared at him and turned away, the desks of the class moving out of her way as she collected her things. Snape did not allow himself a moment to breathe until the door closed behind the angered child with an echoing bang.

"So much like her mother," Snape muttered to himself, shaking his head as he sat at his desk. "That child will be the death of me."

A piece of paper appeared on his desk in a flash of fire. Sighing, Snape took the paper up and unfolded it, thinking that it was nothing but a quick message from the Headmistress. His eyes narrowed when he saw the words scratched onto the paper.

"Can this day become any more tiresome?" he wondered aloud, crumbling the paper in his fingers.

OOOOOOOOO

Avonlea clutched her books to her chest as she walked down the halls of the castle. Her stomach hurt too much for her to go to the Great Hall for dinner and she knew that even if she hadn't felt so sick from that, she wouldn't have gone anyway. The evil glares of her classmates never lost their intensity when they fell upon her back. The whispering didn't go unnoticed and she knew that if they could get away with it, there would be a number of curses that would be sent her way with nasty consequences. She kept her gaze low and hurried towards the place where she knew an understanding creature would be haunting.

"Firenze," she said, finding the centaur just outside the castle. "May I speak with you?"

The centaur turned his head and his eyes softened as he looked at her. "Miss Raven," he said, bowing his head slightly in acknowledgement. "I have expected you to come to me for many moons now."

Heat flooded her cheeks as she looked up at the centaur. "You knew for a while what I have been becoming, I see."

"It was apparent in the first glance I had of you," Firenze told her. "You were not aware of it though, and I was not sure it was my place to tell you."

"I wish someone would have told me before it got too late. How was I supposed to know that my Veela blood would give me the horrid reality of turning into a vampire? They don't tell that part in any book I've read about Veela." She rubbed the side of her neck. "Then again, I didn't find very many books about the Veela race that I could easily get access to. It's all getting to be too much to handle at once."

Firenze nodded, his tail swishing a little. "There is not a lot of knowledge recorded on paper about the Veela race. It is understandable, therefore, that you found nothing helpful. The Veela race is a mysterious one that is only known for their extreme beauty and fiery anger."

"Well, I think more people should be aware that Veelas who don't find their mate before they hit the age of seventeen will become vampires. Blood-sucking monsters that people shun forever…I'm going to become one of them. A monster."

The centaur reached out and placed his hand on Avonlea's shoulder. "You will not become a monster, Miss Raven. In time, you will find the answers you seek and you will defeat the bloodlust that has begun to creep up to you." He gestured with his other hand up at the sky. "The stars have already told your fate and it will be hard, but you will triumph."

The blonde Halfling looked up at the sky and scanned the stars, but they never really made sense to her. None of the stories that they proclaimed had been revealed to her through her own observations. All she saw was stars in random patterns on a black blanket that spanned out in all directions for forever. It took someone who had been raised to decipher the patterns to make the stars seem clearer in their never ending tales.

"Firenze, is there anything you can tell me that will point me in the right direction?" Avonlea asked, her gaze returning to the centaur once more.

"Only this," Firenze said softly. "Follow your heart, even in the hardest of times. Follow it and everything will fall into place. I bid you a good evening, Miss Raven."

Avonlea watched in silence as the centaur walked away into the darkness of the castle grounds. Her chest felt tight as she stood there, staring out at the world. The feeling that she should run away filled her again. She could do it, she knew. She could be gone before anyone would notice and then it would be too late for them to bring her back.

_But where would I go?_ Avonlea wondered, hugging her books to her chest. _Where would I go that I could be hidden from everyone forever? And what would I do if I gave into the vampire tendencies? Could I live with myself knowing that I must feed on other humans to survive? Biting Rissa is bad enough…how could I do it to complete strangers every time I get a little peckish?_

"I won't become a monster," Avonlea whispered, turning her back on the world beyond the castle doors. "Not if I can help it."

She hurried back into the main part of the castle and moved quickly past the Great Hall's entrance. If anyone called out to her, she didn't notice. Ducking her head down and keeping an eye on her feet, she was determined to go unnoticed to her new room. Fate, it seemed, really hated her.

"Hey Raven!" someone growled, stepping into her path. "I've gotta bone to pick with you."

Avonlea stopped a few feet away from the person addressing her. She glanced up and saw that it was one of her Slytherin housemates and some of his cronies were standing around him. She took in a deep breath and tried to find her inner strength.

"What do you want?" she asked, trying to keep her gaze on his but failing slightly.

"You got us a large paper to write on the weekend," the boy said, crossing his arms. "That's no way to start a weekend."

"Then I suggest that you get started on it as soon as possible, so you can enjoy your weekend," Avonlea told him. "Now if you don't mind, I have a stack of homework to attend to."

The Slytherin moved closer. "I don't think you're going to do any homework tonight, Raven. You're going to pay for ruining my weekend."

Swallowing softly, Avonlea looked up at him. "How?"

A sick feeling welled up inside her when she felt his gaze wander up and down her body, practically stripping her of her clothing with just his eyes. She shivered slightly and didn't miss the smug smirk that crossed his lips. His eyes were full of lust when they found hers again.

"I can think of a few ways that will make up for what you've done to my weekend. And who knows? You could make the weekend even better than I planned."

"Sod off," she said with a bit of acid. "I'm not going anywhere with you or your cronies. Now, if you'll be so kind, I have to go write my paper."

The Slytherin stepped into her way again and grabbed her arm just below the shoulder and squeezed. "You're going to do what I say, Raven. Or else."

Avonlea looked down at the hand that he had on her arm and narrowed her eyes. Her blood started to boil and she felt her inner Veela starting to come out. She pushed his hand off of her, tossing her blonde hair over her shoulder. A small rotation of her hips had the boys getting glassy eyed.

"Don't touch me again," she ordered, leaning close to him so that her breath hit his face. "I won't hesitate to rip your arm off. No one touches me like that. No one." She moved a step back. "Now go away."

Like puppets on a string, her housemate and his cronies moved away from her. Avonlea sighed with relief and shifted her shoulders with a slightly visible shudder.

"Didn't think that would work at all," Avonlea muttered to herself.

Someone clapped slowly, startling her. She let herself breathe again when she saw that it was only Carissa. The daughter of Snape smiled and clapped her hands awkwardly as she approached Avonlea with a small bag of food in her hand.

"Bravo, Lea, bravo," Carissa teased, wrapping an arm around her friend's shoulders. "I didn't think you had it in you to use your Veela powers. Or to stand up against a bully like that ass-hat housemate of ours on your own."

"I didn't think that I could do that either." Avonlea shrugged. "He made me mad though. I had to do something, Rissa."

"Okay. But what did he do, besides breathe, that pissed you off so much that you went into Veela mode on him?"

"He tried to stake his claim to me in his bed. Or wherever that worm takes his conquests." Avonlea was startled to find her teeth biting down on her lip. "No one takes me to their bed except for my mate…No one else."

Carissa's eyebrows rose up and her lips pulled into a half-smile. "Easy girl, easy. No need to rip someone's head off yet." She moved her hand down to take hold of one of Avonlea's. "Geez, I didn't know you were so protective of a mate you don't have yet. Seriously, what's with the 'mine only' attitude?"

"I couldn't tell you where that came from," Avonlea admitted, readjusting her grip on her books. "I just hope that it's not permanent. God, could you imagine what would happen if I freaked out like that in front of a class?"

"Uh-huh, I definitely could." Carissa tapped her fingers against her teeth. "Those might make a problem for you too. Better put 'em away, unless you're feeling a little peckish for the red nectar of life…?"

Avonlea almost dropped her books when she pressed a hand to her mouth. She could feel the sharpness of her upper canines pricking against the thin skin of her hand. A small wrinkle furrowed between her brows as she focused on shrinking her canines back to their normal size. It took a moment, but she managed.

"No…no, I'm not peckish for – for that," Avonlea whispered, letting her hand fall. "See? No more fangs."

"Uh-huh." Carissa didn't look completely convinced, but made no more comments about the situation. "Shall we go to our place and eat what's here before we attempt to do our homework tonight?"

"Yes and yes, you can look off of my homework if you need to. We'll get it done, so you can spend more time with Katia and Cassius. Okay?"

"And you wonder why you're my best friend in this world." Carissa escorted her friend towards the stairs. "C'mon and let me tell you how I dealt with the evil, soft-hearted man that is my father. It's a truly heroic tale, if I do say so myself…"

**OOOOOOOOO**

**A/N: Well, there's that. Please don't forget to review after reading this! Thanks! -Scarlet**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hello to all of you lovely people who are reading this story! Thanks for sticking around for so long. I admit that the update process of this is getting really weird, but it's the same with all of my projects. I'm just really glad that you guys like this and that you have patience. Please enjoy reading this tiny update.**

**OOOOOOOOO**

_His hands roamed over her body as his lips moved against hers. Every inch of her was on fire as she arched against him, tugging at his hair and clawing at his naked back. Her breath hitched as his lips followed a path down her throat to her chest and he positioned himself against her before looking at her through hooded eyes. She lifted her hips up to touch him, feeling the fire explode through her entire body and met his eyes as he uttered_, "Avonlea…"

Avonlea's eyes snapped open and she gasped, panting like she had just run a marathon. Her body thrummed with pleasure that it had never truly known and she knew that she had to do something about her perspiration-soaked clothes. She felt her fangs biting into her tongue as she threw her sheets off. The bloodlust was back, but it was more driven by the thoughts that her mind was conjuring than the actual desire to drain someone.

Avonlea gathered up some clothes and booked it out of her room. The sound of her best friend snoring in the other room brought a momentary smile to her face. At least this way her friend wouldn't know about any dreams that the blonde had. She couldn't tease Avonlea for waking up panting for something that she knew that she would never have. The thought of being ridiculed by her best friend about this kind of thing toned down the feelings that were running through her body, but not enough to make her feel less dirty.

"Need a shower, need a shower," she sang under her breath, heading into the bathroom and locking the door. "A really, really cold shower…"

The cold water shocked her system out of dangerous thoughts and she allowed herself a few moments of just standing under the water, thinking. The painting of bathing nymphs moved around, not paying attention to her, but she watched them for a while. Nymphs like that didn't really exist – they were more ethereal looking than they were beautifully humanlike. That thought made her think about how actual vampires looked like as compared to the romantic paintings that everyone seemed to think about when thinking about vampires.

_Nope. Nope don't think about that,_ Avonlea told herself, drying off. _You won't become a vampire – not like that. Never ever, ever._

She stared at her reflection and saw that her canine teeth were sharper than they should have been. Her brow furrowed as she looked at them, wishing them away forever. Wishes like that, she knew, were impossible because of the really dangerous future that she had in store. If she didn't find her mate before she became a real adult, she was going to have to deal with these fangs on a daily basis for the rest of her life.

"No," Avonlea whispered to her reflection. "No, that's not going to happen. I'll stop this. I'll think of some way to stop this."

She quickly dressed into a pair of jeans and a low-shouldered blue top over a black camisole shirt. Throwing her hair up into a sloppy bun, she exited the bathroom and was confronted by the sound of her best friend snoring again. Shaking her head, Avonlea grabbed a bag full of supplies and headed from her common room.

Paintings lining the walls towards the stairs were just stirring as she moved past them. She muttered "good morning" to the ones that talked to her, but didn't engage them in further conversation. Avonlea knew that conversation wouldn't be possible until they had all seriously woken up for the day. She pressed her hand against her stomach when it growled and looked around her to see if anyone was around to notice.

It being the weekend, she knew that most of the castle would probably still be in bed, sleeping their lives away with happy dreams. That meant the Great Hall would be mostly empty at this hour and she'd be able to eat without caring about the evil looks of her classmates. The less hate she had to deal with in the morning, the better she could handle it later.

_And I can avoid the rest_, Avonlea reminded herself, stepping into the Great Hall. _Oh! Look at the snow…so that means no getting out of the castle to avoid people. Damn!_

Avonlea moved over to the bench after tearing her eyes away from the snow falling from the enchanted ceiling. She set her bag down next to her and piled some food onto her plate. Her eyes turned towards the professors' table at the back of the room and noted that only a couple of the professors were actually there. Notably missing, of course, was Professor Snape. The Veela Halfling shook her head and turned her gaze back onto her plate.

_Stop thinking about him, right now! Stop it! _Heat flared in her face. _Professor Snape is _not_ the person I'm destined to be with. He isn't and he will never be! Get it through your head right now, Avonlea! Because you're going to be a wreck if it turns out that he doesn't fit those shoes. And he could never love you the way that you wanted, so just stop thinking about him and focus on finding the actual mate that you have to be with before New Year's._

Avonlea helped herself to a thorough breakfast, eating more than usual so she wouldn't have to come back for lunch when more students would flood the Great Hall. She allowed herself a moment to breathe as her finger went in circles around the rim of her goblet of orange juice. Her eyes turned back towards the professors' table and then quickly back to the seat across from her, one that remained empty. Soon, most of the seats in the castle would be empty because of the approaching Christmas holiday. Most of Hogwarts would be heading home to celebrate the holidays with their families, but not her.

"I am not going back to the brothel," Avonlea muttered to herself, gulping down the rest of her orange juice. "Not to stay for a long period of time…"

She gathered her things and stood up, hardly glancing at anyone that was around. Ghosts floated past her, some tipping their hats in acknowledgement of her presence. Peeves soared past her, blowing a loud raspberry in her direction on his way to torment some poor souls. Avonlea bowed her head and hurried out of the Great Hall. She didn't stop moving until she was just outside of the library.

"Okay," she sighed, readjusting her grip on the strap of her bag. "Just go in there and find some book that you haven't read about Veela – or vampires – and hope that it helps more than the others."

The books on magical creatures were surprisingly limited when she dismissed the ones that she had already read. Avonlea stacked up the small pile that she hadn't looked at and hefted them over to a desk, where she knew that no one would bother her.

"Dammit! Is there no book that can tell me anything about my problem?" Avonlea asked the cosmos, tossing down the last book over two hours later. "Someone somewhere has to know something more about Veela than their beauty and anger…" She rubbed her temples and shook her head. "I'm going to have to do it…I'm going to have to ask for help."

Avonlea shoved her notebooks back into her bag and gathered the magical books up in her arms. She muttered to herself about getting the courage to face the librarian. Being her, she delayed the asking for permission to get access to possible other books by placing her other books up where they belonged rather than go straight up to the librarian. Empty-handed, Avonlea took a deep breath and moved towards the librarian's desk.

"Um…Excuse me?" Avonlea began, trying to keep a stammer from her voice. "I was just looking at some books about magical creatures and I was wondering if there were some that are more informational about Veela?"

"Is this for an assignment?" the librarian asked, looking at the younger witch over her glasses.

"Kind of." Avonlea sighed and adjusted her grip on the bag's strap. "I couldn't find anything helpful in the regular sections and I was wondering…"

"If you could look in the Restricted Section?"

"Um…yes?"

"I'm afraid not. You see, you have to have permission from a professor or the Headmistress in order to use the books in the Restricted Section." The woman pursed her lips. "Do you have permission?"

"No…"

"Miss Raven has permission to use the Restricted Section," a voice said from behind Avonlea.

Avonlea's spine stiffened slightly and she bit her bottom lip. _Focus. Concentrate. _Turning around, she saw Professor Snape standing behind her. His dark eyes were narrowed as he looked at her and she felt like she was going to melt into a scared little puddle for Filch to clean up later. Mentally telling herself to calm down, she released her bottom lip from the confines of her teeth.

"Professor?" she uttered.

"The Headmistress requested that you be allowed to search for answers in the Restricted Section," Professor Snape said, speaking in that waspish voice that bore no mercy. "As long as I am present and may assist you."

"Oh…"

"Do you have a problem with my presence, Miss Raven?" Professor Snape asked, cocking an eyebrow though his eyes darkened a little more.

"No, sir." _And that's the problem_. "I just didn't think that you would be interested in studying in the library with a student like me."

"Believe me, Miss Raven. I would much prefer to be doing something else than attending to you on a weekend," Snape said in answer. He motioned towards the Restricted Section. "Now, will we begin or are you going to stand there and waste my time?"

Startled into speechlessness, Avonlea ducked her head and moved towards the Restricted Section of the library. _Christ, can this day get any worse?_

OOOOOOOOO

Snape didn't want to waste any time finding the books that could help get his student off of his back. There were better things that he'd rather be doing that day, like brooding in his office over a potion while recalling the moments that he regretted most in life. To be spending time with a student that happened to be the best friend of his daughter was not on the top of his list of things that he'd like to be doing outside of the classroom.

As Avonlea moved along the aisle across from him, Snape decided to probe for information that she may already know about her condition.

"How long have you known about your heritage?" Snape demanded, glancing in her direction for just a moment.

"Mother told me a few weeks into the school year," Avonlea answered, running her fingers over the spines of books that were probably worth more than her life and three times as dangerous. "Apparently, that's when my father told her about the problem of being a Veela before he vanished into the Great Unknown again."

"How convenient of him…" Snape grabbed a book from a shelf and flipped through the pages. "And why is it that you have taken so long in telling me about this? As Head of House, I should have been the first to know when you found a taste for the life giving blood of others."

The girl turned her gaze towards him briefly. "I thought that I could handle this on my own."

"That's what you get for thinking." Snape glared at her. "McGonagall said that you attacked one of your housemates. Why was I not contacted when that happened?"

"Because I didn't think about it, sir. I wanted to forget about it – like she made the housemate." The blonde was paler than he remembered her ever being in class. "Professor McGonagall told me that I could keep it a secret..." She turned her gaze away from him. "I guess she lied."

The Veela grabbed a couple of books and moved over to a small table. Snape watched her go, wondering why his daughter found her so interesting to be around and why he had agreed to help her when there were other professors that could help her with this problem. As Head of House, he knew that it was mostly his responsibility to help his student, but there were far kinder souls out there with free time to spend that would have gladly helped her. Why him?

_Because I am the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor_, he decided.

"How have you sustained yourself during the moments that the bloodlust overtakes you?" he asked, glancing into the tome that he held in his hand.

Avonlea scratched the side of her neck and squirmed in her seat. "Nothing really…A friend that knows about my problem has been giving me a little blood every now and then. For their sake, I can't tell you who they are."

Snape thought about using Occlumency on the girl, but remembered that she was skilled at combating it and using it for her own gain. He would have to wait until the answer could be gleaned from her under the influence of other means.

"Very well," he said, letting the subject change. "Take notes of what information can be gleaned from these books."

"Yes, sir."

**OOOOOOOOO**

**A/N: It wasn't a very long update, I know, but that's all that has come to me in the past week. Sad, but true. I hope to update this again soon, but can't make any real promises. I have new projects that are calling out to me too, so that's another problem that I'm going to have to deal with. Please read and review responsibly. And I'll see you all in the next update! Thanks! –Scarlet**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hello everyone! I have received a lot of nice comments and critiques on the last review and I thank you whole-heartedly for that. I have another update ready for you and I hope that you enjoy it. Onward to reading, my friends!**

**OOOOOOOOO**

Avonlea ducked her head, focusing her attention on the mass of parchment before her and scratched out the notes that Snape was telling her from the third book that he'd found. Her nose twitched as she breathed in his scent, though he wasn't standing very close to her. Taking notes did very little to keep her from thinking about her dream about her mate, but she kept telling herself that she needed to listen to him for the sake of her future. There had to be something in the books that would help her figure out if her mate was standing before her or if there was some other person that she was meant to be with.

_Just focus on the notes,_ she told herself, pinching her thigh to get her thoughts back to the present duties. _Focus on the notes like your life depends on it…It _does_ depend on it. Damn!_

She looked up when she heard the whisper of magic in the air and saw that a cat Patronus was bounding into the room. McGonagall's voice floated from the unopen mouth of the Patronus, gaining Snape's attention as well.

"Professor Snape," the Patronus said, its throat glowing with each word. "Your presence is required as a few of your students have gotten out of hand. Come to my office immediately."

Something pulled on Avonlea's heart, but she kept silent as the Patronus vanished in a wisp of silvery light. Snape closed the book in his hand with a snap and placed it back on the shelf that he had found it on. Avonlea watched his every movement with her bottom lip being held between her teeth.

"Miss Raven," Snape said, looking at her. "It appears that our study session is over for the day. We shall return to the studies of Veela tomorrow at one o'clock. And, as you have had very little information to share, perhaps you should contact your mother for more information that she may have kept to herself."

"Yes sir," Avonlea answered, gathering her notes up and placing them in the bag at her side. "I'll try to get her to open up some more…"

Snape's dark eyes burned on her for a moment like he thought that she was some kind of worm. The Veela Halfling lowered her eyes on the pretext of adjusting the strap of her bag. She hated that look and knew that it would hurt her more if it had come from the disgust of having such a pathetic connection to her.

_He's not it_, Avonlea thought. _I would know if he was it…I would know…He'd know. Right?_

She followed the dark man out of the Restricted Section without saying a word. When he left the library, she didn't follow him. Instead she just stood there awkwardly, watching his retreating back. Thoughts about what made him the one that she feared and needed the most circled through her head long after he disappeared. Shaking her head, she went over to a desk and placed her head on her hands.

_Oh God! What am I supposed to do?_ Avonlea asked, letting her forehead rest on the cool wood of the table. Her body trembled. _What the hell am I supposed to do with this situation without making a fool out of myself?_

"Hey Lea!" Carissa's voice floated to her ears as the other witch plopped down next to her. "I knew that I was going to find you here, but did I see something else?"

"Rissa, go away," Avonlea whispered, her voice muffled by the desk. "I am so not in the mood for this…"

"Well, just answer me this," Carissa said, bumping her shoulder against Avonlea's. "Why did I see my father heading from here like a bat out of hell? Did something happen between you two? Did he find out -?"  
"No. There was nothing to find out," Avonlea's head popped up so that she could look at her best friend. "McGonagall told Snape about my condition and forced him to help me do some more research on Veelas from within the Restricted Section. We just spent two hours looking at books and I took notes and I have to come back here tomorrow to do the same thing over again. It's torture. Our Headmistress is a really evil woman."

"Do you think that she knows that something's up between you and -?"

"No! No one knows that! Not even me!" Avonlea growled, earning a dirty look from the librarian. "I just think that she – that she has a sick sense of humor. There's just no way that she knows about it because I don't and if I don't, then…"

"But how could you not know it? You've been panting over him at night in those dreams of yours. You've stared at him and tried to keep on his good side for the past few months. You put more effort into the homework that he assigns than any of your other classes. And you're trying so hard to run away from him – how is that not knowing that he's the one for you?"

"I just don't think that he's the one, okay?" Avonlea gathered her bag and headed out of the library with Carissa in tow.

"No! It's not okay!" Carissa snapped, grabbing onto Avonlea's hand and pulling her to a stop. "Lea, you need to stop running away. You know that he's meant to be with you and that only he can keep you from becoming a true bloodsucker. Why do you keep running in circles away from the truth? From him?"

"Because I'm scared!" Avonlea snapped, yanking her hand free. "All right? I'm scared. I'm scared that I'm going to be rejected, that I've been chasing after a lie. I'm scared of that man and the way that he looks at me like I'm a parasite. I'm scared that he will reject me if he finds out what I am and how he plays a part in it. I'm scared that I will lose my humanity and that I will never see the sun again. I'm scared to lose you and I'm scared to admit that your father could be the one that I need to retain everything that I've known for my entire life. I'm scared, Carissa. So very scared."

Carissa stared at her for a moment before blinking twice. "Lea, I didn't know. I didn't know all of that was on your shoulders. Why didn't you tell me?" She reached out and put a hand on Avonlea's shoulder. "You know that I'm your best friend .You could have told me all of this and I would have understood."

_No one can understand what I'm going through_, Avonlea thought, looking at her friend, but keeping her mouth shut. _You can't sympathize with someone who's going through something that you never will._

"C'mon," Carissa said, turning Avonlea and propelling her forward. "Let's go get something to eat and then we can go outside and throw snowballs at whoever is brave enough to be out in the snow. It'll cheer you up."

Doubtful about that, Avonlea let her best friend take her away from the library.

OOOOOOOOO

Snape had had to deal with six of his students, who had decided to turn several Hufflepuffs green with horns. They had been put into detention for two months and lost their House seven hundred points. This punishing of students was something that he found a lot more satisfying than spending time in the library with one of his other students. To be in such close quarters with the best friend of his daughter had been annoying to him. After all of the secrets that he had had to learn from the Headmistress about the girl's upcoming transformation, he felt like giving her a month of hard detention too. As her Head of House, he should have been the first to know that she was becoming a dangerous creature in the midst of normal students.

And yet, he didn't want to give her detention. He didn't want to punish her for something that he knew that she couldn't control. Students these days, he realized, were in the mindset that they knew everything that needed to be done in new, dangerous situations. Many times they failed, but this girl was one that he knew couldn't be allowed to fail. If a vampire was loose in the castle, no one would be safe. And he could only imagine how horrible his daughter would act if she found out that her friend was not helped all the way up to the end of her human life.

"The girl is nothing but trouble," Snape muttered to himself as he wandered along one of the open outer halls of the castle. "Both of them…"

He paused when he heard the sound of laughter. Glancing out into the snowy world outside the castle, he saw his daughter and Avonlea Raven running through the snow. They were pelting each other with snowballs, charmed to float around them. His heart clenched at the sound of their laughter and his pulse quickened when he saw Avonlea trip and fall into the cold snow. She laughed again and rolled over, sweeping her arms and legs as she made a snow angel.

"Come on, Rissa!" the Veela Halfling's voice floated to him through the air. "Make yourself a snow angel!"

Carissa laughed and fell onto the snow next to her friend. "Knowing my breeding, I'm going to make more of a snow demon than anything."

Snape stood there for a moment, watching the two girls in the snow. Avonlea rose to her feet and brushed back her hair as she turned to look at the results of her sweeping. Snape shook his head and started walking away again.

"Nothing but trouble," he muttered.

OOOOOOOOO

Avonlea looked at the fireplace as she thawed out from the adventure she'd had out in the snow with Carissa. She had received a message from her mother that she would be contacting her through the fireplace in ten minutes. Wrapped in a light blanket and holding a steaming cup of hot chocolate in her hands, Avonlea watched the flickering flames in anticipation of her mother's presence. The sound of Carissa singing from her room made her smile slightly, even as she prepared herself to be talked down to by her mother.

_Should I have brushed my hair before this? _Avonlea wondered, touching her hair. _I should have at least dried it before this…Do I have time to get it done?_

The flames turned green in the fireplace, quieting the thoughts in Avonlea's mind. A woman with flowing blonde hair and grey eyes appeared in the flames. Well, at least her head did. She blinked as if to fight off the ashes and soot that flew up in her eyes, but quickly looked up at her daughter with a small smile.

"Avonlea, darling!" she crooned. "How are you? Have you been eating enough? Why is your hair wet?"

"Um…I've been eating enough. I was outside in the snow for a while and I didn't have enough time to dry it."

"You were out in the snow?! Avonlea, do you realize how sick you could become out in the cold with a wet head? Has that school taught you anything about taking care of yourself?"

"It's only happened once, Mom." _Three times actually. _"I'll be staying inside for the rest of the winter, if that makes you happy."

Avonlea's mom sighed. "It would make me happy to know that you were healthy. You're my baby. I always want you to be healthy and bright…"

"I know, Mom. I know what you want." Avonlea glanced over her shoulder when Carissa's song changed. "Mom, why didn't you tell me more about my breeding sooner?"

"We've been over this, Avonlea. I didn't tell you because I didn't know what you would have to go through. You know that your father isn't in the picture, Avonlea. I may be his soulmate, but he doesn't come here except for two times a year when he needs to crawl into bed with me. Three, if he's feeling generous." A frown line appeared between Avonlea's mother's eyebrows. "What could I tell you when I don't even know what the hell is happening to you at the moment? It's not like your father sat down and talked to me about the possibility of you becoming a vampire for hours on end. It was just a note say that if you don't find your mate by your next birthday, that you would become a vampire…Can you imagine how embarrassing reading that note was in the midst of my friends?"

_Probably not as embarrassing as it was to have to have the Headmistress wipe the minds of your housemates and shove you into a room far away from the people that already ostracize you. And let's not think about how my mate could possibly be the most hateful man in the entire castle_, Avonlea thought, but kept the rant choked back in her throat.

"Have you found your mate yet?" Avonlea's mother asked, looking up at her daughter with what could have been hope.

"Not yet," Avonlea said, hugging her knees closer to her chest. "But I'm working on finding him."

"Good." Avonlea's mom sighed dreamily. "I hope you find a wonderful pureblood with money enough to pamper you like you deserve. I only want the best for you – so that you don't end up in the whorehouse with Carissa and the others. Just think of how people will treat you when you have a pureblood name on both sides of your life."

Avonlea didn't want to point out that her Veela blood made her a non-pureblood because of her father's breeding. The argument, she knew, would be fruitless and her mother would go away all huffy, muttering how disrespectful children were these days. She sat there, frowning but silent as her mother mumbled to herself the daydream fantasies that she had for Avonlea's future.

"My dear, I have to go now," Avonlea's mother said, turning her head slightly. "I have a business to run and only I can do it properly. I will see you on New Year's, right? You and your mate, right?"

"Yes, Mother."

"Good luck on the search," she said, smiling. "And do tell your friend that her mother says hello…as if I was the messenger for the house…Goodbye, Avonlea."

There was a small flare up in the flames as Avonlea's mother pulled her head back into her side of the Floo-powder connection. Avonlea sat there in front of the flames, watching the sparks and sipped at her drink.

"I thought that she would never leave," Carissa said, spooking Avonlea so much that she spilled some of her hot chocolate on the rug. "I was about to sing Bye-Bye Bitch Time at the top of my lungs."

"Rissa!" Avonlea exclaimed. "Don't sneak up on me like that!"

Carissa made a small apologetic gesture and then sat down on one of the overstuffed chairs. "You realize that she never calls me by my name except when we're in front of my mother, don't you? She doesn't even say it in my presence. It's always 'you' or 'dear' or 'child', but never my name. It's like she doesn't think that I'm worthy of having a name."

"She's like that with all the prostitutes in the house," Avonlea reminded her friend, wrapping a blanket around her shoulders as she rose to sit next to her friend. "Well, mostly the prostitutes that don't have pureblood clients or heritage. Imagine what she'd be like to me, her own daughter, if I ended up with someone without the pureblood standards?"

There was a smirk on Carissa's face. "Now I'm definitely rooting for the ultimate relationship between you and my dad."

Avonlea didn't know if she should be worried about that sneaky grin or not. "Why's that?"

"One, you'd be mating with a half-blood. Two, you'd be connected to me through the relationship – maybe becoming my step-mother. And three, you'd be with my dad, the person that your mother despises the most."

"Let's just drop the step-mother title, okay? I'm always just going to be your best friend."

"And my dad's bed-buddy." Carissa leaned forward and caught one of Avonlea's hands between hers. "Just think about how that's all going to be handled by your mother. She's going to blow her one brain cell to smithereens and be absolutely traumatized that her little baby is banging my dad. We'd totally be on the same level as each other and enjoy the hate together. It's going to be brilliant!"

Avonlea sighed. "You do realize that I haven't even confirmed that your dad is my soulmate and I haven't gotten him to see it either. Your brilliant plan could possibly backfire and nothing would happen. I'd become a vampire and you'd still be hated by my mother…"

"Shh! I'm not kidding when I said that you were going to be with my dad. I know it. I can feel it in my bones and that's a good sign. Everything is going to be okay and your mother will be pissed as hell." She gestured at the pile of parchment paper on the table. "Let's look at the notes that you took with my dad and see what we can find out about your soulmate. You've got to have noticed some of these things…"

**OOOOOOOOO**

**A/N: What did you think about this? It was a little short again, but that's what I have to deal with. I hope to have a name for Avonlea's mother soon, so keep an eye out on the future updates. Future updates may be delayed and sporadic, but I'm not forgetting this story. Please read and review responsibly. Thanks! -Scarlet**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hello everyone! Welcome back to another update for this story. It's been a while, but there's nothing that could have been done about that. However, this is the most recent update that I could give anyone, so please enjoy.**

**OOOOOOOOO**

Avonlea rubbed at her face as she wandered into the Great Hall the next morning. Sleep still beckoned her towards her distant bed after the night that she had endured before. She had combed over every note that she had written during her study session with Carissa and tried to get down every fact that she knew was calling her towards her mate. Every small change and new sensation that she was dealing with, she had written down at the prompting of her best friend. The lists were long and painful to look at with just a few hours of sleep.

"Ugh," she muttered, sitting down at her House's table and pulling a steaming mug of hot chocolate with marshmallows towards her.

Her eyes turned up towards the Enchanted Ceiling as she sipped at her drink, watching the snow fall gently from the reflected gray sky. Christmas trees were lining the room, covered in enchanted lights that sparkled brightly and hurt her eyes to look at them. Avonlea looked around at the gathering of students, glad that they would soon be dwindling to a smaller, more manageable body of people after the Christmas Ball. Then she could breathe freely without worrying about pissing off too many people or putting them in danger.

_Rissa won't let that happen, _Avonlea thought, turning her attention back onto the food that lay before her. _I mean, she's going to go home for the holiday, but she won't let me put anyone in danger. She won't let me be put in danger._

Avonlea stacked her plate full of scrambled eggs and breakfast sausage, feeling hungrier than she had in a very long time. She realized as she chewed on one of the sausage links that she didn't care what people thought about the amount of food she was consuming. She attributed it to the fact that her body was coming into its heritage and needed more fuel to run her body properly. That and she was trying to commit the taste of food to memory just in case she became a vampire at the end of the year.

_Don't think about that. I have time. There's still some time to see if there's a chance that someone else could be my mate._

Avonlea looked up at the professor's table after devouring half of her first plate, feeling like someone was watching her. Her feelings were confirmed when she saw that Snape was looking at her with a peculiar look on his face. She swallowed her food nervously and pushed her hair back away from her face, heat flooding her cheeks. She blinked and Snape was talking with the professor to his right.

_Stop that right now!_ Avonlea snapped herself mentally, looking back at her meal. _Stop looking at him as if he's going to come tearing down the aisle and whisk you away from this castle. If anything, he's going to punish your for staring at him like a stupid git! Stop it, stop it, stop it!_

She helped herself to a second plate of breakfast and downed one final mug of hot chocolate before rising to her feet. Avonlea gathered up her bag and started to move away from the Great Hall. Someone paused in passing and let out a low whistle.

"Damn, Raven," he said and she could feel him openly staring at her. "When did you get so hot?"

"I don't know. When did you get to be so pervy?" she shot back, sending a glare in his direction as she headed through the doors.

Avonlea adjusted the neckline of her black long-sleeved t-shirt as she climbed some stairs. The idea that anyone could find her hot was alarmingly new to her. She'd always been rather plain in her opinion, but maybe her Veela blood was starting to show itself more and more as she neared the time of her change.

"Nope, nope, nope." She shook her head and hurried down a hall. "I can't think about that right now," she muttered to herself. "Damn it!"

Her tongue had grazed her canines and cut itself upon them. The taste of her own coppery blood made her teeth ache. Avonlea closed her mouth tightly and hurried in the direction of her new dormitory, knowing that she had to get to that safe haven as quickly as she could. The thought of someone seeing her growing fangs terrified her, especially after the warning that McGonagall had given her those few nights ago.

She pulled out her wand and created her Patronus, sending it on ahead with a message for Carissa to get ready for the small feeding that she needed. Avonlea's heart pumped loudly in her ears and she was starting to see red again.

Fear flooded through her body as she dropped all pretext of caring. Grabbing her bag tightly, she pushed herself into an all-out sprint that carried her across the castle. If professors called out to her, she didn't pay attention. Some of the paintings called out to her, some egging her on faster and faster while others told her that she was being rude.

"Dragon Bogeys," she hissed at the painting that hid her dormitory.

The painting swung open and she toppled into the room, dropping her bag unceremoniously on the floor. Carissa was already sitting on the overstuffed chair by the fire, her sleeve pulled back to lay bare the snowy flesh that revealed the soft blue lines of her veins. The thought of what was in those veins both sickened and drew Avonlea to her.

Tears welled up in Avonlea's eyes as she lowered herself onto her knees before her best friend. Every time that she had to feed on her friend's blood, she cried.

She cried because she knew that Carissa wouldn't cry. Because she knew that taking the blood from her friend – or anyone really – meant that she was starting to become more a blood thirsty monster than she cared to admit. She cried because she knew that she could lose control at any moment and destroy whatever chance of happiness that she had.

Carissa's eyes were soft and she patted Avonlea on the head, offering her arm to the other girl. "Time to eat," she commented softly.

Avonlea took hold of her friend's proffered arm and ran her tongue over her lips. "I'm sorry, Rissa."

"Don't be."

Taking in a deep breath, Avonlea plunged her fangs into her friends arm and was rewarded with the warm coppery taste of blood.

OOOOOOOOO

Avonlea hurried into the library at one o'clock, bowing her head at Snape when he turned his gaze upon her. He could tell that she had fed on someone – the bright flush that spread across her face couldn't have just been from her running to the library. His eyes narrowed as he wondered what demented soul would want to feed the bloodthirst that the girl was getting more and more involved with. The girl muttered an incoherent apology and adjusted the strap of her bag so that it no longer lay twisted upon her shoulder.

Snape turned and led the way towards the Restricted Section, noting that no other student was visibly in the library that afternoon. With grades like the ones that he handed out, he knew that most of the students should have been studying their asses off in order to become competent witches and wizards. But the absence of students also meant that he could talk with the Veela Halfling without worrying about the spread of her secret.

"Are you going to tell me who you have been feeding on now?" he demanded, watching her set her bag down.

The flushed color of her cheeks deepened. "I don't think you really want to know the answer to that question, Professor."

"If I didn't want to know the answer, I would not have asked the question," Snape pointed out, glaring down his nose at the witch. "Now, who have you been feeding on?"

Avonlea bit her bottom lip and looked at him warily. "Carissa."

Snape stared at her in quiet alarm. He had known that his daughter and this creature had become close over the years. He had rarely seen them apart from each other for more than an hour – they had been almost like one creature, always drawn back to one another. But to think that his daughter was feeding the bloodlust that Avonlea was growing into, it was foreign and unexpected.

_How could I have not noticed?_ Snape wondered, turning his back on the girl. _How could I not have guessed that they would be sneaking around in this bloodbath? Minerva put them in a private room together. Carissa knows about the Veela to Vampire situation, I've seen it in her eyes. How could I have been so blind?_

The Veela Halfling sat down on her chair and he could feel her watching him. "I told you that you wouldn't like what you heard, Professor."

"Has she been your only source of blood?" Snape demanded, plucking up a book at random.

"Besides that one moment where I attacked another student…yes. It's always been Carissa."

"How long have you been feeding on her?"

"Three and a half months." Snape turned to see her tapping her quill against a fresh sheet of parchment. "I didn't force her to give me her blood, Professor. I never asked for her to do that for me. I know there are other venues that I could go to in order to find the blood that I need to quench this worsening bloodlust, but she didn't want me to go to some stranger for help. She wanted it to come from someone that I knew, someone that I could trust." Her eyes met his for a heartbeat. "I would never hurt her on purpose, sir."

Snape snapped the book shut and placed it back on the shelf. "It would be impossible for you to hurt her. That girl has a high threshold for pain." He picked up another book. "Did your mother provide any more information pertinent to your case?"

"No, sir. She is as clueless as she ever is."

_That woman never really did have brains for anything beyond herself_, Snape thought, scanning the pages of the book for any information that he could glean from it. _It is rather surprising that this girl has any brains at all…It must come from her father's side._

His eyes wandered back onto the girl as he started speaking facts about the Veela race, though he didn't understand why he had to look at her so often. She was quickly scribbling down what he said, twisting a long tendril of hair around her finger as she did so. The dim lights of the Restricted Section glinted in her golden hair, causing a slight glowing effect and he watched as she captured her plump bottom lip between her teeth.

Snape forced himself to turn away from the girl and tried to concentrate harder on the task at hand. If he was going to have any chance of helping the girl find her soulmate before she turned into a vampire, he couldn't let himself get distracted by her unknowing Veela charm. And if he wanted to have peace coming from his child, he would have to guarantee that Avonlea would not become a bloodsucking creature of the night.

_Keep your head in the game_, Snape thought bitterly, turning a page. _You can't lose your head because of some girl that has been a thorn in your side for years. Once this bloody deed is over with, she won't be a problem to you anymore and you will never have to think about her again._

Oh, what a happy thought was that one, Snape realized, but something in his chest thudded painful. To be rid of the girl that followed his daughter around like a helpless puppy and who sat meekly in the midst of other students, sitting silently when all the answers were already on her tongue – that was something that he had long desired. He would finally be able to relax and return to his habits without thinking about the shenanigans that his offspring and her best friend were getting into while his back was turned away from them.

OOOOOOOOO

Avonlea squeezed her thighs together as hard as she could as Snape dictated notes from the book in his hand, trying very hard not to let her mind wander into daydreams. She had been sitting there for two hours with him, in silence as she took her notes like a good student would. Though she kept her eyes focused on the notes that were before her, she could tell when Snape's eyes fell upon her with an unnatural heat. She squeezed her legs together tighter and chewed on her bottom lip to keep herself from making any sound that he would misinterpret as her being weak or highly bored.

_He smells like old books and warm potions_, Avonlea thought, remembering what she had told Carissa when they had had their own impromptu study session. _I never noticed it before. It's not a bad smell, actually, considering how bad at Potions I am…Is it bad that I want to smell more of it?_

Carissa had laughed at her and threw a pillow in her direction. _"It's not bad, unless you want to admit something. You and my dad are meant to be together, Lea. The nose knows more than you want to admit."_

The Veela Halfling stiffened slightly when Snape approached her side of the table and bent over at the waist to look at the notes that she had scribbled down. She caught a whiff of his strange scent and stopped herself from leaning in towards him. Realizing that his scent was making her dizzy, she held her breath and turned her head slightly away from him. If she passed out now, she knew that she might as well die of embarrassment.

"It appears we have accumulated enough information about Veelas and their mating practices to begin the process of finding your mate," Snape decided, straightening once again, but taking one of the sheets of parchment with him. "Do you agree, Miss Raven?"

Avonlea nodded and let her breath out quietly when he moved away from her. "Yes, sir."

"A Veela will begin to change in appearance slightly as her bloodline kicks in," Snape said, reading the notes. "It is the starting sign that shows that she is reaching sexual maturity and must become appealing to her possible mates."  
Avonlea shifted slightly in her seat and clasped her hands together. _That would explain all of the unwanted attention I've been getting these days. But I don't see any difference when I look in the mirror…_

"A Veela will be alerted of the presence of her mate through her sense of smell," Snape continued, moving around the desk. "She will be drawn to the scent of her mate and excrete her own unique scent that will lead the mate towards her."

_Oh God!_ Avonlea's teeth bit harder down on her lip. _I can't let that happen! I know that I already recognize his scent, but he can't recognize mine! There's no way that that can happen! There are dozens of males here. One of them could have a more powerful effect on me and my overly sensitive nose. Yes? Snape can't be the one. He would have begun to realize it if he was the one that I needed to be with. He's not the one. He can't be._

Avonlea's stomach made a small growling noise and she pressed a hand against it, heat flooding her face. Her eyes looked up at Snape for a split second, but he didn't seem to hear the sound. He was too focused on looking over the notes.

"Miss Raven," he said, turning to look at her once more. "Have you noticed the scent of someone close to you becoming more appealing?"

_Yeah, yours,_ Avonlea thought, but she shook her head. "No, sir. Maybe he's not at this school?"

"No." Snape said, shaking his head. "If you would remember what we learned yesterday, you would recall that a Veela's mate is always in the same place as the Veela herself is. It's an odd fact that is only true in the case of Veela." His eyes darkened as he looked at her. "Now, I will only ask this question once more. Have you noticed an appealing scent coming from any male that you have encountered here at Hogwarts?"

Avonlea straightened her spine and tried to hold his gaze. "Sir, I told you that I haven't noticed the change of any male's scent that would appeal to me."

Snape held her gaze for a moment longer and she could feel the faint buzz of him trying to get into her head. She focused on keeping him out, while attempting to make her reaction seem innocent. There was no way in hell that she was going to let him get into her head and see what she didn't want to see herself.

OOOOOOOOO

Snape tore his gaze away from the Veela girl across from him when he couldn't get into her head. He mentally cursed his daughter for teaching her friend how to keep people out of the inner thoughts of her mind. If there was a secret hidden in the girl's mind, anything that could help him find her mate, he needed to know it and know it soon. Yet, there seemed to be nothing to learn from the girl – her clueless answers told him that she probably didn't know anything was changing around her, except for her thirst for blood.

Moving back to her side of the table, he placed the parchment covered in her notes back on top of the other pieces of parchment. She brushed her hair over her shoulder, not looking at him, but the action stirred the scent of her hair up into the air.

Snape smelled the scent of lavender and rain in the girl's hair. The scent was familiar, but strange at the same time. Like he hadn't noticed it before, even though he knew that he had.

_She washes her hair too much in that stinking stuff_, Snape told himself, putting more distance between him and the girl.

"Your assignment is to review the notes," Snape said, glaring down his nose at her. "And to move about the castle, using your heightening senses to see if you can locate your mate. That means you cannot hide in your room with Carissa for hours on end. If you want to remain human, then you will do what it takes to find the unfortunate soul and change your fate. Do

I make myself clear, Miss Raven?"

The Veela nodded and started to gather up her notes. "I understand, Professor."

"You will report to me your findings after class tomorrow," Snape told her, his voice waspish.

"Yes, sir." Avonlea stuffed the notes into her bag and stood up. "Am I free to go?"

"Yes."

Avonlea moved around the table and smiled softly. "Good day to you."

Snape waited one moment before clearing his throat. "And you will be more careful when you feed from Carissa's veins, won't you? You have so few friends, I would hate for you to kill one of them."

Avonlea's eyes turned towards him and they narrowed slightly. "I will be careful, sir. Goodbye."

The girl hurried away from him like she couldn't get away fast enough. Snape watched her walk away, his eyes following the slight shift of her hips as she walked. Shaking his head, he left the Restricted Section and closed the door behind him. Part of him felt empty as he moved through the library, scaring students that looked at him like he was the Devil himself.

_That girl is nothing but trouble, _he thought, not for the first time that week.

OOOOOOOOO

Avonlea didn't stop walking until she was standing on the steps in front of the castle, her breath coming out in little clouds. She wrapped her arms around herself and leaned back against the cold stones, staring out at the world. Crystalline tears filled her eyes, but only one fell down the curve of her face.

_He's starting to recognize that there's something different about me_, Avonlea thought, remembering the way that Snape had acted around her. _I saw it in his eyes. I felt him breathe next to me…He doesn't recognize the signs that he could be the mate of a Veela Halfling. And I don't want him to. I don't want him to be the one. I'd rather become a vampire._

The lying thoughts filled her head with bitterness and her tongue felt the bitter lies that hadn't been spoken directly.

She didn't want to become a vampire. She didn't want to live alone or lose her friends. She didn't want to lose her humanity and feed on the blood of others in order to survive for the rest of time.

_There's got to be someone else_, Avonlea decided, wiping at the stray tear that fell down the curve of her cheek. _There has to be someone other than him. I just have to look like he told me to._ Her eyes scanned the snowy world outside the castle. _I will find someone else. I know that I will._

**OOOOOOOOO**

**A/N: So what do you think? It's slightly longer than some of the other updates I've made on this site. Did you enjoy this? I know that Snape's scent is mentioned differently here than it was in J.K. Rowling's statement on his scent, but I found this scent more pleasing and more likely. Please leave a review in the little box and I will get back to all of you as soon as I can. Alright? –Scarlet **


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Hello Ladies, Gents, and Everyone Else! Thank you for sticking around for this long. I haven't updated in a while but that's the same story with many of my other projects. Oops. My mind can't stay focused on things these days, but I do come bearing a new update for you. It's not my best work, but it will have to do. Please enjoy this next update, presented to you now.**

**OOOOOOOOO**

Avonlea did try to get together with more of her peers over the next week with the help of Carissa, but never had any good news to report to Snape about finding someone who was destined to be her mate. It had gotten to the point that he would give her a look at the end of class and she'd shake her head as she gathered her bags. The unspoken let down that she wasn't having any luck had created a bad feeling in her gut because she realized that it was getting harder to stop thinking about him, seeking his approval and being close to him.

_I just need to get out there and see some more boys, _Avonlea told herself as she brushed her hair. _There's bound to be someone that I missed. I could find him and that will be the end of it. _She caught her bottom lip between her teeth and stared at her reflection. _I could have the kind of relationship with him as my dad has with Mom. Only coming together when the need to mate comes upon me…That could work._

Thinking that made her mouth taste bitter. She knew that there was no way that she could have a relationship with someone and see them only a few times a year in an intimate way. Avonlea couldn't handle having that kind of relationship. She dreamed of having one where she could be with her partner all the time, keeping him close so that they could grow tighter in their loving bond and relationship. There was no way that she could let herself have the messed up bond that her mother had with her mysterious father.

_But I can't believe what my body is telling me either_, Avonlea thought, setting her hairbrush down on the edge of the sink. _I can't believe that the world is pushing me towards Severus Snape more and more every day. He doesn't know what's going on and I can't tell him. I can't tell him that he's my mate. The books said that he needs to find out for himself…I can't help him. And he can't help me._

"God, this is so frustrating!" she cursed under her breath, adjusting the neckline of her purple sweater.

"If you don't like the sweater, don't wear it," Carissa said from the doorway. "I think it's cute on you, though."

Avonlea glanced at her friend's reflection in the mirror and saw that Carissa was pulling her own sweater over her bra. "It's not the sweater. I love this sweater."

"Good. Because I'm the one that bought it for you." Carissa freed her hair from the collar of her sweater. "Two years ago. Before your boobs started to fill in."

"Thanks for getting a size up then." Avonlea folded her arms over her chest. "So, Hogsmeade. We're going to do more than shopping?"

"Yep. I gotta get some things for presents and I want to get some more chocolate frogs. And maybe that'll expose you to some more men that could be the mate that you need." Carissa leaned against the doorway to their bathroom and fixed Avonlea with an evil eye. "When you don't find someone else who gets your blood pumping, will you finally admit to yourself that my dad is your mate?"

Avonlea shook her head. "I can't admit it."

"Can't? Or won't?"

The Veela Halfling was silent, staring helplessly at her friend without really seeing her. Carissa shook her head slowly.

"Lea, you can't be _that _scared of him," Carissa said, moving into the bathroom. "Once he finds out that you're his mate, everything will be better."

"He has to be the one to find out though," Avonlea reminded her in a small voice. "You read the notes that I took from that book Mom sent me. He has to acknowledge the connection himself and then want me…"

"And how could he resist you?"

"Easy. I've kept secrets from him and this big one could be the one that causes him to hate me for the rest of his life. He could reject me, Carissa."

"Or he could accept you, Miss Pessimist. Did you think of that?"

_Only a half dozen times_, Avonlea thought, shaking her head. "The thought that he could reject me if he finds out that he's my mate and condemning me to a life as a vampire is scarier than the idea of becoming a vampire without anyone knowing who my mate is."

Carissa sighed and wrapped her arm around Avonlea's shoulders. "We won't have to think about that, Lea. We'll go out and have some fun today and maybe we'll find someone to keep you entertained…Just promise that you won't mope if you can't find someone else. Okay?"

Avonlea nodded and her friend gave her a friendly squeeze. "Let's get out of this place. Being cooped up in this castle with a bunch of idiots is not how I want to spend my weekend," Carissa said, propelling Avonlea out of their bathroom. "Off to spend our mothers' hard earned money, away!"

"You're so strange," Avonlea commented, smiling for the first time that day.

"Thanks."

OOOOOOOOO

Snape moved through the small village of Hogsmeade, glaring at any child that crossed his path. He didn't find it amusing that he had been one of five professors that were assigned to watch over the students while they spent their money on useless baubles and candy. Yet, he dare not cross the Headmaster when she had been gracious enough to forgive him for his misdeeds during the last Wizards War that killed his one-time master. Snape knew that he was still walking on thin ice and that he was easily replaceable, should the need arise.

The distraction of keeping an eye on the little brats that populated the castle of Hogwarts was welcome though. In his brooding moments of aloneness, Snape was finding it harder to sulk. His thoughts were turning elsewhere and he did not like that. He was tired of having his heart beat loudly in his chest at the thought of a second chance at happiness. It was surely the memories of what he had felt for Lily coming back to the surface since he had been reading the articles about Potter's accomplishments in the paper.

At least, that's what he kept telling himself.

It was displeasing for him to look out at his classroom when both his daughter and her friend were present, knowing that he would yet again see that silent sign that she had not found the mate she needed. Every shake of the head to his unasked question was another blow to his gut and brought only a spark of joy that he didn't understand.

_She's obviously not trying hard enough_, Snape told himself, glaring darkly at a particularly loud group of students. _If she was, she would have found that daft boy by now and consummated their fated relationship. And then she would no longer be my problem._

Snape shook his head at the thought and ground his teeth together. Somehow, he knew, she would always be a problem. Especially since she was almost joined at the hip with his daughter. No matter where he would go, a little reminder of that Halfling would remain with him and haunt his nights.

_Don't think about that!_ Snape ordered himself. _This is not the place or the time._

Snape was glad for the heavy cloak that he wore as he walked through Hogsmeade. It allowed for him to pinch himself hard without drawing attention to the random action. With the pain came a flood that brushed away the thoughts that he had battled against for the past few days. He didn't understand these thoughts, but keeping them back was getting harder every day.

Severus Snape was getting tired of erotic dreams that contained a woman that he never clearly saw. He would wake up, breathless and covered in sweat and in need of a cold shower to get rid of his hard-on. It was getting annoying to think about that woman that he never saw, clawing at his back and moaning incoherent sounds into his ear. He never recognized the voice and never saw the woman's appearance or simply couldn't recall, but he knew that it wasn't Lily. It was someone else that his body yearned for, but his mind would not reveal to him.

_My heart will always belong with Lily_, Snape thought, pinching himself once more. _Everyone else is a cheap shadow. Not worth my time._

He glanced through the window of the local candy shop at random and paused for a moment. Inside, his daughter was laughing loudly with her boyfriend and girlfriend like some big joke had been told to her. Standing nearby was the Veela Halfling, talking with a group of boys. For a moment there was a feeling of anger as he looked at her.

Avonlea was smiling at the boys and playing lightly with her hair, twirling it around her finger. Snape saw that she was leaning in towards the boys more so than she had weeks before her Veela nature had started becoming more noticeable. Some of her shyness remained – she never kept eye contact with any of the boys for long – but Snape could see that she was becoming bolder in her actions. She leaned closer to them and placed a hand briefly on the arm of one of the boys.

_What is she doing?_ Snape wondered, narrowing his eyes at the action. _Is she feeling for her mate? Could he be the one? Could any of those boys be the one?_

Snape shook his head. It wasn't his problem anymore. If Avonlea found her mate, she would no longer be his concern. She would graduate and leave Hogwarts for good – unless she decided to become a professor.

Something in his gut tightened at the thought.

The lights of the shop shone on the girl's hair as she tossed it over her shoulder. Her lips turned up into a bright smile that had him frozen for a moment.

_Get your head in reality_, Snape told himself, shaking his head once more. _The dreams have you projecting upon every female that you see. It's nothing more than that._

The dark professor turned his gaze away from the window and moved along, his eyes glaring darker than ever at the students that crossed his path. The promise of a good stiff drink to wash away all of these intrusive thoughts guided him towards Hog's Head where he knew that no one would bother him.

_Damn that girl!_

OOOOOOOOO

Avonlea blew on her fingers as she moved down the street, leaving her friends to wallow at the local pub, Three Broomsticks. She hadn't realized how cold it had gotten since she had been browsing through the candy store. With regret, she realized that she hadn't brought her gloves with her and now her fingers burned from the cold. Yet, looking up at the sky overhead, Avonlea smiled at the snow that was slowly falling upon the world.

_Remember what this feels like_, Avonlea told herself mentally. _Remember every sensation because one day it could be all gone._

The Veela Halfling tipped her head back and stuck her tongue out. A single snowflake touched her tongue lightly and was gone as soon as it had come. Sighing, she looked back out at the world and adjusted her grip on the bag that she had filled with numerous sweets from the candy store. Her supplies for school were depleted more so than usual, so she knew that she had at least one more stop to make before she would either go back to the castle or join Carissa at the pub for a quick drink of Butterbeer.

_I don't feel much like drinking though_, Avonlea thought, glancing in shop windows as she headed for the all-goods store. _Carissa would want me to come anyway. Just to see if there are any boys that could fulfill my needs. Then she'd laugh back in our room about how I was wrong and she was right._

"Ugh…" Avonlea shook her head. "I can't let her always be right."

Avonlea ducked into the all-goods store and stamped the snow off of her shoes. She gave a little wave to the old witch behind the counter, ducking her head in respect to the woman who always gave her good deals.

"Happy holidays, Miss Raven!" the woman called out as Avonlea moved into the various aisles. "You look as beautiful as ever. Even more so, I say!"

"Thanks, Mrs. Conroy," Avonlea said, feeling the heat flush her face.

Avonlea stopped in the middle of an aisle and touched a few quills. She breathed in the scent of the supplies around her and froze as she realized what the store smelled like. Her heart pounded loudly in her chest, calling for someone that she couldn't have.

_Get the stuff and get out_, Avonlea told herself, reaching for some ink pots and a couple stacks of parchment paper. _Get out! Get out! Get out of here while you still can._

She whispered a hurried goodbye to the witch behind the counter and moved out of the store. Breathing in the scent of the clean snow, she allowed her body a moment to adjust to the cold before hurrying towards Three Broomsticks. As she moved, she kept a careful eye on the world around her, making sure that her path never crossed that of the person who tormented her most in the world.

OOOOOOOOO

Avonlea had managed to convince the barkeep to let her have some Fire Whisky and she allowed herself to be indulged in the burning liquid. By the time that she and her friends had to go back to Hogwarts for the day, she was feeling warm all over and very giggly. Carissa laughed at the change and took photos with her enchanted camera as blackmail or so she said. Avonlea moved outside, keeping ahead of her friend and with her back towards the school.

"Lea," Carissa laughed, hooking her arm around her boyfriend's arm. "Lea, you gotta watch where you're going! You're going to land on your ass if you don't!"

"Let her fall!" Cassius called out, laughing loudly. "It'll teach her a lesson."

Avonlea stuck her tongue out and waved her arms, glad that her bags had been shrunk down to pocketsize and placed in her coat pockets. "I'm not going to fall. I'm going to fly away from here." She smiled. "Didn't you know that Veela have wings?"

"You don't have wings yet, buttercup," Katia pointed out. "You ain't flying anywhere tonight."

"Except to the infirmary wing or St. Mungo's, maybe." Carissa's eyes widened suddenly. "Avonlea, watch out! The gate!"

"Wha-?" Avonlea turned, but it was too late.

She fell through the gate door and would have fallen onto her butt if someone hadn't caught her first. Carissa's laughter died away at the same moment that Avonlea caught the scent of her savior.

Old books and warm potions.

_Oh God, no!_ Avonlea thought, recognizing the danger even through the haze of the Fire Whisky that she had consumed.

Her body wanted to lean in towards the scent and images played in her head that she didn't want. She couldn't call the thoughts back behind her mental walls, thanks to the alcohol, but she reined in the rest before they could get spilled out into the world. Heat flooded her face and she looked up at the man who had caught her.

"You should watch where you're going, Miss Raven," Snape said in a waspish voice. "There won't always be someone to catch you when you fall."

"I…I'm sorry, Professor," Avonlea whispered. _Did he see those thoughts? Oh God, please don't let him have seen those!_ "I'll be more vigilant next time."

"See that you do." Snape released her and took a step back. "With your little trip here, before you overindulged in liquor, have you found anyone that could be the unfortunate mate of yours?"

"You indulged plenty too," Avonlea could hear Carissa say from behind her. "I can smell it."

"No, sir." Avonlea wrapped her arms around herself, trembling from more than the cold. "I didn't find him."

"Perhaps you're not trying hard enough," Snape suggested, glaring down his nose at her. "Instead of wasting your time with alcohol, you should be searching for your mate. Unless you want to become a vampire instead of remaining a normal girl?"

The fire of her heritage burned in her veins, but her shy side tempered it down to a simmer. "Sir, I have been trying. I have looked at all the boys in my grade and the ones just below that I could. I can't find him or I haven't been drawn to him yet. Or I haven't met him." She waved her hand back in the direction of Hogsmeade. "For all I know, he could live in the village, but you cannot say that I haven't tried. Because I have and…" Avonlea swayed a little. "I think I'm going to throw up."

The taste of bile rose up in her throat, but she swallowed it down and tried to meet Snape's eyes without betraying anything. She tossed her hair over her shoulder and crossed her arms.

"Can I get to the castle now, Professor?" she asked, softer this time. "I need to lie down and look over my notes again. There must be something that I'm missing there."

Snape nodded and moved aside. "See that you look hard at those notes. We're running out of time to save your humanity."

Avonlea ducked her head and moved past him as quickly as she could without running away from him. She was halfway to Hogwarts when she had to stop at some bushes and puked up her guts. Carissa came over and pulled her best friend's hair back out of the reach of vomit until Avonlea stopped dry heaving.

"You sure told him," Carissa commented, charming Avonlea's hair back into a ponytail. "Up until the point that you said you were going to vomit. Bravo, Lea. Bravo."

Avonlea wiped the back of her hand across her mouth and spit out the last of the acid. "I feel like an idiot."

"But a brave one," Katia said, still hooking arms with Cassius. "We've never seen someone stand up to Snape like that since Potter was here."

"Potter was a pure idiot though," Cassius muttered, shaking his head. "That's why he beat the Dark Lord."

"Uh-huh." Carissa wrapped her arm around Avonlea. "Honey, you don't look so good. Let's get you inside our room and treat that nasty feeling you've got." She smiled and leaned in close. "And you're going to tell me all about the boys that you were flirting with."

"Ugh…Carissa, I'm tired and I have a gross taste in my mouth. All I want right now is mouthwash, a hot shower, and my pillow."

"You can have all of that later. You're telling me stories now."

"Ugh!"

**OOOOOOOOO**

**A/N: My chapters are never really that long and I apologize for that if you keep expecting the chapters to grow in size every time that I update. It's not my style to write lengthy updates, but I will try to provide more updates when I can. Please leave a little review – or a big one – in the little box and I'll get back to you. Best wishes everyone! –Scarlet **


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Hello Everyone! Thanks for the support that I've gotten so far for this story's few chapters. I am thankful for all the reviewers and the silent people who support this little tale. I hope that you're year is going well, despite all the wonderful people that we have lost in such a short time. This chapter is sort of in dedication to Alan Rickman since I can't create a real tribute to him and his character. Raise your wands for Professor Snape and please enjoy this little update.**

**OOOOOOOOO**

Avonlea felt hands caressing her body, pulling her closer to another source of heat. Her body moved under his body, her hips arching up to meet his in the most primal of dances. She could feel him moving inside of her, hitting all the right places with just the right amount of force. Her nails bit into his back and her fingers tugged at his hair as he moved within in her, guiding her to the edge of sanity with each powerful stroke. She moaned loudly as he drove in harder, listening to the commands that she had uttered in breathless whispers.

"Come with me," he whispered in a husky voice as his lips touched the shell of her ear before claiming her lips with his once more.

"Oh!" Avonlea gasped, her eyes flying open to find herself staring at the ceiling above her bed.

She pressed her thighs together, trying to ignore the burning need that had formed between her legs. Her teeth bit down on her bottom lip as she remembered the feeling of her dream partner's body on her flesh, driving into her. Angry tears filled her eyes as she slid a hand under the covers, realizing that pinching herself would do little good in chasing away this burning feeling this time. Her hand took up the job that her dream partner had started, but she didn't feel as much satisfaction in it as she would have if he had been there.

When her body shuddered around her fingers and the burning desire was gone, Avonlea pulled her hand free of her covers and grabbed her wand with her other hand. Whispering a small cleaning spell, Avonlea rid herself and her bed of all traces of her desire. The young witch rolled out of bed moments later and grabbed her robe, pulling it tightly around herself.

_This really needs to end_, Avonlea thought, heading into the common room that she shared with Carissa. _I'm going to wake up one day and find myself in his bed without realizing how I got there because of these stupid, stupid dreams._

The blonde raked her fingers through her tangled hair and sat down on the overstuffed chair that was in front of the fire. She watched the fire's tendrils move in an intricate dance as it consumed the logs within. It took her a moment to realize that there was something tapping urgently at the window.

Avonlea turned her gaze to the window and saw a handsome black owl tapping at the glass, glowering at her through proud gold eyes. She recognized the bird as her mother's and thought about ignoring it. Yet, she knew that her mother would find some other way to contact her and would probably chastise her for being such a rude daughter. With a heavy sigh, Avonlea left her warm seat and opened the window for the owl.

"Hello Valoris," she muttered, stroking the bird's head with a finger. "Do you want to come in out of the cold? Or is this just a drop off situation?"

Valoris stuck his leg out, presenting the small roll of parchment that her mother had entrusted him with. Avonlea untied it and stepped back. Valoris gave her a small glare before turning around and flying off into the early morning light. Avonlea watched him until he was a speck in the sky and locked the window securely once more.

"I wonder what she wants now," Avonlea muttered, returning to her seat by the fire.

_**Avonlea dear, I hope that you're thinking about the upcoming Yule Ball that Hogwarts is throwing this year. I want you to be dressed in the best and look presentable. I'm sending you some instructions on how you could possibly style your hair for the event. I trust that you could find someone to do your hair, if you can't work the magic out right. I also trust that you're going to make up your face to be perfect for finding that one successful man that I know is destined to be your mate. You must remember that you're only going to be successful in catching him if you look your best – and more beautiful than all the other girls that will be there. As a half-Veela, you should have no trouble in being more beautiful than all the others and my genes should help you there as well.**_

_**My dear, I hope that you won't let anyone stop you from having a good time at the Ball. You deserve to have some good fun and get dressed up like the belle of the ball. You are beautiful; you just need to learn how to use that. I will be sending you money for the dress that you'll need for this ball in a few days. Please let me know if you need more. My little girl shall have whatever she needs to get the man that will take care of her for the rest of time. – Love Your Mother**_

Avonlea glanced over the instructions that her mother had enclosed at the bottom of the short letter. The instructions for each were simple enough and her mother had drawn out what the styles should look like in the end. She heard Carissa coming from her room and crumbled the letter up into a tight ball. Without hesitating, she threw the crumpled paper into the fire and watched it blacken and burned into a fine ash.

"Let me guess," Carissa said, stretching her arms up towards the ceiling. "Your mama sent you an early morning message about the Yule Ball and how she wants you to look perfect."

Avonlea nodded. "Yeah…How'd you know?"

"Because your mom always sends you a message about looking perfect whenever a big event comes to the places you're at." Carissa yawned. "And I'm developing a psychic ability to go with the repetition that your mom does every month or so."

"Right." Avonlea climbed to her feet and adjusted the knot of her robe. "Do you want to get dressed and head down for breakfast? It's early, so there should be plenty of food for us to get our hands on before the crowd gets in."

"Uh-huh," Carissa agreed. "I'll message Katia and Cassius about it. Hopefully they won't mind waking up after everything that we did last night." She wiggled her eyebrows. "Don't you wish you had someone to spend the night with, Lea? Someone like –"

Avonlea threw a pillow at her best friend. "Shut it!"

Carissa laughed loudly and dodged the pillows. "You can't deny it! You want to be with him! In the bed! In the shower! In the library! Everywhere! You want him bad!"

The dark haired girl ran up to her room, cackling madly. Avonlea was tempted to follow her and hit her with spells and fists in random order. She stood in their common room, pillow in hand, but didn't move. Because she knew her friend was right.

She wanted her mate bad.

OOOOOOOOO

Snape was never one to sleep in, even during the weekends or holidays, so he always took up the role of chaperone during the breakfast hours. He sat at the professor's table and poured himself some tea before helping himself to the different breakfast foods that littered the table. He acknowledged his fellow early-bird professors with a curt nod, not welcoming any conversation in his direction. Not that the others were trying to communicate with him. The silence suited him just fine.

He heard the sound of his daughter laughing as she entered the Great Hall and looked up for just a moment to scowl at her. The smile on her face didn't falter as she skipped over to the Slytherin table with her lovers at her side. She reached behind her and grabbed the Halfling's hand, pulling her after the three of them.

Avonlea was smiling as she was being pulled along. Snape saw a new life in the girl's eyes and found himself staring at her as she crossed the floor to the empty end of the table. Her hair shimmered in the light of the room when she tossed it over her shoulder. Snape was horrified to realize that he was watching the way her hips swayed when she walked like some simple dance that the world gave to women naturally.

Snape pinched himself under the table and quickly lowered his gaze in a vain attempt to distract himself from that creature and her actions. He concentrated in cutting up the meat on his plate, hunching over slightly at the shoulders to ward off any chance of communication with his peers. He kept his eyes focused on the way the knife went back and forth through the tender meat, slicing it into thin pieces.

His eyes closed when he heard the Halfling's laughter rise up from the Slytherin House table. The sound irritated him and yet, caused something to stir within his dark insides. Setting his knife and fork down, Snape threw aside all notions of eating and moved away from the professor's table, heading out of the Great Hall without looking at anyone. He could feel eyes on his back as he retreated, but didn't care.

There were potions that needed brewing and homework to be graded. Food could wait for a few more hours, if he found his appetite once more. Under his cloak, Snape pinched himself again for good measure, telling himself that he really needed to find something better to keep his mind off of the pest that Avonlea Raven was becoming.

_And those dreams of a mystery woman have not helped in the slightest_, Snape thought, heading down into the dungeons of the castle. _There is no end to them anymore. Every night. Several times a night. I should take a Sleeping Draft that bids no dreams in the night. Perhaps then I will be able to sleep in peace._

Snape shook his head. It would be a waste of time to brew that potion over and over again, depleting the stores of ingredients that he had. And he hated the idea of wasting time for something so trivial as blocking out dreams that would never come to light. It should be something that he could control or easily dismiss as something that his overtaxed mind was playing over and over again. Taking potions would only delay the ending of these erotic dreams, but allowing them to continue would, he thought, allow them to come to an end and free his mind of those images and rid his body of that pulsing need that he constantly woke up with.

_The dreams will end without the aid of potions. They will go through their cycle and then leave my mind for good. I know that they will, _Snape thought, opening the door to his dungeon office. _For the sake of everyone. They absolutely have to._

OOOOOOOOO

Avonlea had noticed that Snape left the Great Hall in a hurry, but dismissed it as probably meaning that he was late for something or had been summoned to take care of something elsewhere. She chatted with Carissa and Carissa's lovers while eating more food than she had in a long time. It didn't slip her notice that several of the Slytherin boys who had ignored and tormented her for years earlier were looking at her from down the table with drool sliding from the corner of their lips. Her eyes saw that there were a lot of boys her age and slightly younger staring at her from their seats at the table.

"Carissa," she whispered, setting aside the Daily Prophet that landed near her. "Why is everyone staring at me?"

Carissa swallowed her mouthful of scrambled egg and leaned forward, glancing down the table in both directions. She smiled widely and looked back at Avonlea, putting a hand on her friend's hand.

"Honey, I think they're falling for your Veela charms," Carissa purred. "If you don't call back your charms, I think that there's going to be a new lake in the castle and a lot of boys rushing to kiss your feet… among other things." Her eyes snapped over onto Cassius's face and she wagged a finger at him. "Don't you dare fall into the Veela charm that Lea's putting off, Cassius dear. You're mine and Katia's. Not hers. We're not going to share you with her. Right Katia?"

"Right." Katia elbowed Cassius in the side. "We can't share you three ways."

Cassius quickly lowered his gaze to the food on his plate, a pink hue coloring his cheeks. Avonlea sighed and closed her eyes, trying to calm her body down. She knew that she had very little control over the Veela part of her and yet, she really wished that she could control all of it at the moment. She didn't like being stared at by anyone, but she could feel the eyes of the early crowd of boys on her skin, branding it with intense heat.

"So much for avoiding the crowd," she muttered, opening her eyes. "Seriously, how can pretty people stand having the attention on them? I don't like it. It's – it's weird."

"Get used to it, honey," Carissa said, patting Avonlea's hand. "You're going to come into your Veela heritage and boys will be staring at you for the rest of your life. And nothing is going to change that. Even if you find your mate – which you have – they won't stop undressing you with their eyes."

Avonlea squirmed in her seat. "Thanks for that, Carissa. As if I wasn't paranoid enough."

"Anytime."

"She found her mate?" Katia asked, looking at Carissa with wide eyes.

"No!" Avonlea said, slapping a hand over Carissa's mouth. "I haven't and the less you know about the situation, the safer we will all be when we're around people who can use Occlumency. Please Katia, Cassius, don't ask for any information about my mate. I can't let anyone find out and use it against me. Please."

Cassius and Katia looked at each other for several moments in silence before nodding.

"We won't pry," Cassius promised.

"But we want to know what happens when it's safe to know," Katia added.

"Deal."

They looked up as a large owl appeared over their table. Avonlea moved her plate to the side to let it land with a heavy sound. Attached to the poor owl's leg was a heavy bag and a note. Avonlea quickly relieved the owl of her burden and offered her a bit of meat. The owl gratefully accepted the treat before ruffling her feathers and flying away.

"It's from Mom," Avonlea muttered, pulling her plate back into its original position before looking at the small note. "She wants me to let her know if this isn't enough."

Carissa reached over and emptied the contents of the bag onto the table. "I think you'll have enough to buy the entire store of dresses," she commented. "There must be two hundred Galleons here."

"Mom never was good at math," Avonlea muttered, staring at the small pile of gold coins on the table. "And she did say that she wanted the best for me, no matter what." She sighed and touched one of the coins. "I won't use all of these. I can't use all of these on one dress. Do you guys want some so you can buy some nice clothes for the Yule Ball?"

Katia and Cassius nodded, practically drooling over the pile of money that they couldn't take their eyes off of. Carissa scooped the money back into the bag and set it by Avonlea's elbow.

"You hold onto that money until we can go to Hogsmeade for dress shopping," Carissa said, returning to her meal. "We can buy all of our dresses and Cassius's outfit in one go. It'll save time and money, trust me."

"Okay," Avonlea said. "But you better make sure that we use it all. I don't want Mom to think that I wasn't using the money to the fullest advantage. It must have taken ten men to earn this money."

Carissa nodded. "Or less, if she found the right Purebloods in her bed." She leaned her elbow on the table. "What color do you want to wear to the Ball?" she asked. "Not green, right? We're surrounded by that too much. And no gold or red or yellow, we don't want to look like we're supporting the other Houses."

Avonlea shrugged her shoulder. "I don't know what color I want to wear. I guess if I find a dress that I like, that'll be the dress I'll pick. No matter what color it is."

"Fair enough. The boys will still drool over you the same, no matter what color or style you wear."

Heat flooded Avonlea's face again. "Carissa!"

**OOOOOOOOO**

**A/N: Not long, but things have begun to happen here. Yes? Please remember to leave a little review in the box, even if it's criticism. I can only improve as an author with your help. Thanks everyone in advance! -Scarlet**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Hello everyone! Happy Valentine's Day to one and all, single or taken! I bring to you many thanks for supporting me and this journey of a story. I thank you all for the kind reviews and for the kind words and thoughts that you have shared with me. I now bring you another update, short and sweet. Please enjoy!**

**OOOOOOOOO**

Avonlea sighed as she gathered her books together at the end of class. Her best friend muttered something about needing to rush to the ladies' room and left without waiting for Avonlea to stand. The Veela Halfling could feel the eyes of some of her peers on her flesh, burning into her like hot iron. This had been a common occurrence for the past week and hadn't been getting easier on her. Carissa had told her to ignore it since Avonlea had been unable to rein in her Veela charms and make the best of it.

"Maybe you'll find your mate easier this way," the daughter of Severus Snape had said, shrugging a shoulder as they looked over their notes about Veela in front of the fire every night. "He'll get a bit of that charm in his system and come running into your life."

"Hey Avonlea," someone said, attracting her attention.

Heat flooded Avonlea's face at being addressed by someone that she barely interacted with. "Hey Troy…"

"So, the Yule Ball is coming up," Troy muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. "And I was wondering if you'd like to go…with me?"

"Oh!" Avonlea almost dropped her books.

"I mean, you don't have to go with me. If you have already agreed to go with someone else, that's cool too. I was just wondering in case you don't have a date for that night…"

_His face is redder than mine has ever been_, Avonlea noticed, brushing back the hair that had fallen in her face. _I didn't think that was possible…Why does that seem like a cute trait to me?_

"No one's asked me to the Ball, Troy," Avonlea told him, hugging her books to her chest. "But I need some time to think about this…I mean, I haven't ever had someone ask me out before and well…I'm new at this."

"Oh, yeah. That's cool. Take all the time that you need. I promise that you will enjoy the night, though, if you go with me. No pressure though." He smiled, flashing bright perfect teeth. "I'll see you around, Avonlea. Okay?"

"Okay," Avonlea said with a nervous smile.

She watched him walk away, leaving her to stand in the classroom like a fool. Avonlea's eyes turned towards the front of the classroom when she felt her skin burning from a harsh glare. Severus Snape's eyes held hers as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Sir?" Avonlea asked, adjusting her grip on her books.

"That boy," Snape said in his waspish voice, gesturing with his eyes at the door that Troy had vanished through. "Was he the one?"

Avonlea shook her head. "No, sir. He's – he's just asking me to consider something."

"And what would that be?"

"He wanted to know if I would attend the Yule Ball with him this year," the Veela Halfling admitted, though she didn't see how that could mean anything to what was going on in the time of her change. "I told him that I would consider his offer."

"Why must you waste time dating the wrong men, Miss Raven? You need to use your remaining time in an attempt to find your mate, not by remaining near the boys that are not him." Snape's glare intensified. "Unless you have given up the search and have wasted my valuable time in a search that would be in vain…"

The Veela's eyes flashed angrily and her small fangs gleamed in the dim light. "I am not giving up, sir! Why would I? I don't particularly find the option of becoming a vampire a pleasant one! I have been looking, sir! I have gone into situations that have placed me out of my comfort zone in order to be around as many of the males in this school as I could. Have I found him? No, I haven't. Will I give up? No! Not until the last moment of my human life!" She straightened her spine stiffly. "And I never asked for you to waste your time on me, sir! I never asked for you to become involved in any of this!"

Snape's eyes darkened. "You are a walking time bomb, Miss Raven, but that doesn't mean that you can talk to me like that."

Avonlea sneered at him. "Am I wasting more of your time, Professor? Would you like me to go away and sniff some more boys and report back to you which one doesn't smell the worst?"

She had no idea why she was picking a fight with Snape or why she wasn't cowering behind her desk. It was something that had never done before and never would have dared to consider. Yet, Avonlea knew it was too late for her to go back now. An apology wouldn't help in this situation with Snape and she knew that she couldn't apologize. She'd gone too far to turn back like a coward. And she didn't feel like doing it anyway.

"Seventy points from Slytherin," Snape said, looking livid. "Now leave my sight and remember that you must respect all of your professors, Miss Raven, or I will see to it that your last moments as a normal witch bear no entertainment of any kind."

"Very well, sir. Goodbye." The Veela Halfling turned away from him and moved out of the classroom, her head held high and her back stiff.

Avonlea leaned against a wall of the castle one floor below the classroom that she had vacated, letting her breath out in a whoosh. Her body trembled with the realization that she, a cowardly nerd, had stood up against a professor. And not just any professor. Professor Severus Snape, the most feared and dangerous professor in the entire castle.

"What the hell is going on with me?" Avonlea asked herself, brushing her hair back away from her face. "Flirting, smiling, dancing…arguing? This isn't me. This isn't me at all. Why is my heritage hitting me so hard, so quickly?"

Notes flashed before her mind's eye as she tried to remember what she knew about her impending change. She remembered a small note that said that a Veela could possibly come into her nature faster than others, depending on the Veela herself. Change rates could be sped up in some Veela, which would explain why she was dealing with all of this, but all Veela had the same deadline for their change. On their seventeenth birthday, they would come fully into their Veela heritage or become a vampire.

"I'm one of those girls then," Avonlea muttered, swiping her tongue across her bottom lip. "Perfect. Ouch!" The Veela winced as her tongue caught on her sharpened fangs. "I really need to keep these hidden from people," she muttered. "And to keep them from cutting my tongue every single time they come out unexpectedly."

She closed her eyes and willed the fangs away, allowing her body to relax for the first time since she had left Snape's classroom. It took a moment, but she managed to get herself calmed down enough to push herself away from the wall and decide to look for her best friend.

"Lea!" Carissa called out, running down the hall with her bag slamming against her hip. "There you are! Damn, you look like you've gone through Hell."

"Gee, it's good to see you too, Rissa," Avonlea said, rolling her eyes.

"What happened when I left for a quick run to the loo?" Carissa asked, straightening the strap of her bag.

"Enough to ruin my entire day," Avonlea said, but she knew that Carissa wouldn't be happy with that short, undetailed answer. "Well, Troy asked me out to the Yule Ball."

Carissa's eyes widened. "Troy? Did what?"

"Troy asked me to join him at the Yule Ball as his date."

"And what did you say? Tell me that you didn't agree to go out with him!"

Avonlea arched an eyebrow. "What difference does it make on how I answered him?"

"It's a big difference." Carissa reached out and grabbed hold of one of Avonlea's hands. "Unless he's the one that you need to mate with forever, then you shouldn't force yourself to go out with him just because he asked you. I-I don't want you to be trapped in a relationship that won't lead to you being happy for the rest of your life. And Troy, well, Troy's not the person that you need right now, Lea." She squeezed Avonlea's hand. "So, what did you tell him when he asked?"  
"I told him that I would think about it," Avonlea said softly.

"Then you can tell him that you decided against it."

"I could."

"What else happened?" Carissa asked, peering into Avonlea's eyes for more answers. "There's something else that you're not telling me, Lea. Spill it. Now."

Avonlea took a small breath and looked down at their joined hands. "I got into an argument with Snape. A really bad one. I said somethings that weren't very respectful, Rissa. And he looked at me like I was slime daring to use that tone with him. I've never done something like that to people in front of their faces…"

Carissa's dark eyes widened until they seemed like they were going to pop out of her head. "You argued with my dad? Avonlea! How could you have done that?"

"I just – well, I just snapped a little."

"A little? You spoke back to a professor and you decided that the first one that you'd talk back to was the scariest one in Hogwarts." She smiled proudly and squeezed Avonlea's hand tightly. "You go, girl!"

"Wait, what?"

"You're getting a voice of your own, Lea," Carissa explained. "And you're showing that you won't let anyone mess with you anymore. You won't take any more bull from my dad and he's now very aware of that. Oh, I can't wait to see what you're going to do next. Maybe you'll finally make him see that you're not that scared little mouse that entered his classroom seven years ago because now you're a blooming, confident, sensual young woman. And that could help you with your little problem."

"Only you would see it that way, Rissa." Avonlea pressed a hand against her stomach. "Can we go down the Great Hall now? I'm really hungry."

"That's what you get for skipping lunch," Carissa said, smiling and pulling Avonlea towards the nearest staircase. "I can't wait to tell Katia and Cassius about what you did in that classroom after class. They're going to be so impressed with you. We might even sneak some Fire Whisky into our room and share it with you in celebration of the awakening of confidence in you, Lea. You deserve it."

Avonlea let herself be pulled down the steps, keeping an eye out for the vanishing ones that used to trip her up. A small smile rested on her face as she listened to her best friend prattle on and on about what had gone on in Potions that day.

_Am I finding a voice that everyone didn't think that I ever would?_

OOOOOOOOO

Avonlea sat on the overstuffed chair by the fire of the room she shared with Carissa, a steaming cup of hot chocolate with marshmallows held between her cold fingers. On her lap was a small magazine that her mother had sent to her during the dinner hours. Fashionable dress after dress was shown on the pages, all in rich colors and fabrics. She didn't need to read her mother's accompanying note to know that she wanted Avonlea to stick with the best of all the dresses because she deserved to have the best. Avonlea flipped through the pages without interest and without truly seeing the images on them.

_I have a couple weeks left_, Avonlea told herself, flipping the page from a pink one to a very blue covered one. _I can go shopping in Hogsmeade before then and find a dress that makes me happy. I don't care about the price or color. I just want to be happy. I want my mate to see that dress and be happy too…Is that too much to ask?_

The smell of warm potions and old books met her nose, causing her to look up in alarm. There was no one in the room beside her since Carissa had snuck off to barter for a bottle of Fire Whisky. Avonlea knew that her mind was just playing tricks on her as she sat there alone. It wanted her to acknowledge what her heart was yearning for, just to make the pain and fear go away.

_Will he ever look at me like I see men look at young women?_ Avonlea wondered, looking down at an image of a young witch posed lovingly with a nicely dressed man. _Will he ever see me like someone that he could love like this? Could I ever be what he wants me to be? Should I even bother trying to make him see me anymore? Did what I do today ruin all chances that I have of letting him in close enough to see what role he truly plays in this problem of mine?_

"I'm royally screwed," Avonlea said to herself, throwing the magazine into the fire and watching the fire consume it.

**OOOOOOOOO**

**A/N: My dears, what do you think of this? I hope that you will all leave a nice little review in the little box where reviews live. I will be attempting to get another update up in a few weeks, if not sooner or later. I haven't really decided yet. Please have a wonderful week and consume lots of chocolate with love. -Scarlet**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Hello once again to all of you lovely readers! It's been a little bit since I last updated this story and I'm happy for the people that have stuck around for so long. Your reviews are encouraging and I would thank you all personally if I could. However, I would like to introduce you to another update. A short one, but an update nonetheless.**

**OOOOOOOOO**

Avonlea remained silent in Snape's class for the rest of the week. Whenever she was in his presence, she would draw a cloak of silence around herself. Her eyes would burn on his for several moment when she was getting ready to leave class or study hall, telling him that she not only was she not able to find her mate, but that she was still very pissed at him for the conversation that they had shared earlier. And the professor would glare darkly back at her and copy the silent treatment.

"Dress shopping! Dress shopping!" Katia sang, dancing around the private common room that Avonlea and Carissa shared. "Tomorrow morning is dress shopping time!"

Cassius made a small annoyed sound and stretched out like a feline on the sofa by the fire with Carissa wrapped in his arms. The daughter of Severus Snape was browsing through a witch magazine, looking content and bored at the same time. Avonlea sat before the fire, doing her best to ignore everything that was going on inside her mind.

"I can't believe your mom sent more money," Carissa commented, glancing in Avonlea's direction. "Like that bag of money wasn't enough to buy out the whole dress store. Why'd she send more?"

"Because she can," Avonlea muttered, narrowing her eyes at the tongues of flame that twisted in the fireplace. "And because she wanted me to have enough money to buy quality jewelry and makeup for the event." She poked her wand at the burning logs. "Like I want to wear pounds of jewelry and cake my face with horrid makeup at all. She's impractical all the time. And all because she wants the best for me, as she likes to say."

"Well, you're graduating from Hogwarts at the top of the class," Carissa pointed out, tossing the magazine away. "That's something that she can't say that she's done. What place did she graduate in? At the very bottom of the class, right? And look where that got her." Her eyes closed. "Look where it got our moms…I mean, my mom is very intelligent, but look where they are." She waved her hand. "And look where we are. We're not heading in the same direction that they are. We're going somewhere with our lives after Hogwarts."

Avonlea's expression soured. "You're going somewhere. You're going to be joining one of your favorite Quidditch teams and become famous as the best Chaser in the world. Me, I'm going to either find myself as a true Half-Veela or end up being a vampire by the end of this year."

Katia plopped down on the floor next to Avonlea. "You're so pessimistic. Wasn't your plan to graduate and become a teacher of magical creatures?"

"It was."

"And it still is," Carissa called from her spot on the sofa. "You can't give up on your dreams yet, Avonlea. You can never let them go. I won't give up on you and the search for your mate until you find him and make sweet, passionate love to him all over this common room."

Heat flooded Avonlea's face as she whipped her head around to look at her best friend. Carissa smiled wickedly from her place in Cassius' arms and snuggled closer to the man. Cassius smiled and rubbed a hand over Carissa's back, choosing to remain silent for the moment.

"I wouldn't do it all over the common room," Avonlea said heatedly.

"Why not? I do."

"That's you. It's not something that I would do with anyone."

Avonlea's best friend shrugged a shoulder. "You say that now because you're a virgin, but just you wait until you get your first taste at the primal dance of passion. You're going to be shagging all over the place, especially when you come into your heritage. I remember a note saying that Veela can be very, very horny in some cases."

"Explain my dad then. Why doesn't he shag Mom all the time?"

"Have you been around your mother?" Cassius asked. "That woman could kill a man's libido after a few hours alone with her."

"Yet, somehow she acts like she's the most used whore in the song house," Katia added. "Are all pure bloods like that?"

Avonlea shrugged. "I don't know. And I don't want to think about what will happen if I find my mate."

"When," Carissa corrected. "When you find your mate – or rather, when you accept him as your mate, you're going to have a lot to think about. Trust me."

A silence fell over the gathered group of friends and Avonlea turned her gaze back to the fire, trying very hard to focus on keeping her fangs back. She was hungry for blood after not having it for a couple days, but she didn't want to feed off of Carissa with the other two in the room. Her tongue swiped across her teeth and she shuddered as the sharp fangs cut into her tongue.

Carissa let out a loud groan and rolled out of Cassius' arms and onto the floor. Yawning loudly, she stretched her arms out looked around the room. "I want to have a picnic," she announced to the room, dropping her arms to her sides. "Katia, Cassius, be a couple of dears and go get what we need for a picnic."

"Out in the cold?" Cassius asked, sitting up slowly. "In the snow?"

"No. We're going to have a picnic in this room. So, we're going to need plates and plates of good food and some bottles of_ liquid_." Carissa's eyebrows rose and fell as she smirked. "Avonlea and I will go around and look for a perfect blanket for us to sit on by the fire." She waved her hands. "Go, go."

Katia bounced onto her feet and held her hand out to Cassius. No one spoke until the two of them had vanished through the door. Carissa let out another loud sound and crawled over to the fireplace. She sat back on her heels and pulled up the sleeve of her shirt, baring her pale flesh to the glow of the fire.

"C'mon Lea," she said, holding her arm out to Avonlea. "You haven't had a drink in a few days like an idiot. You have to eat something that's not people food, but comes from people." She thrust her arm closer to Avonlea. "Chow time, table for one."

Avonlea frowned and turned her gaze away from her friend. Her body shuddered once more. Carissa punched her in the side, earning a dirty look.

"If you want to eat before the guys get back, you better start feeding, Lea."

The Half-Veela reached out and grabbed her friend's arm. Without meeting her friend's gaze, she bit into the pale flesh of Carissa's forearm. Carissa let out a hiss of pain and then fell silent as Avonlea fed off of her life's blood.

_I hate this so much_, Avonlea thought, closing her eyes as the rich liquid slid down her throat. _I hate this hunger so much!_

Carissa placed a hand on top of Avonlea's head and petted her hair, making soft soothing sounds as Avonlea became aware of the hot tears filling her eyes. The tears slid out from beneath her lashes and fell upon Carissa's skin.

_I hate this._

OOOOOOOOO

Snape came into the Great Hall near the end of the dinner period, ready to eat without having to converse with his fellow faculty members or watch over many students. The weekend was one of the rare pleasures that he allowed himself to enjoy in solitude. No bratty kids asking stupid questions in class or tripping over themselves and making a mess of his classroom. And certainly no child that they could talk back to him with inappropriate words like they could stand up to him, their superior.

"Severus," McGonagall's voice said from his side as he tucked into his evening meal. "It has been a while since I have checked in with your assignment. How is Miss Raven's search for her mate coming along?"

Snape's mood instantly soured and he set his fork down for a moment. "Miss Raven would do better in her search if she would not flirt with boys that she knows aren't her mate. Yet, she does the complete opposite of what she should do."

"She hasn't come any closer in her search?"

"No."

McGonagall picked up her goblet and took a sip from her wine. "That girl has always been such a dutiful student…I wonder why it is that she hasn't invested herself in the search. I had thought that she would not want to become a vampire on the day of her seventeenth birthday."

"It appears that Miss Raven is no longer concerned about the state that she will achieve at the end of the year," Snape said, chewing slowly on a piece of chicken. "All that time spent hunting down clues about her heritage, wasted. If she doesn't find her mate, then I believe that we will have to remove her from the castle, Headmaster."

"I do not want to think about the life that the girl will lead if she doesn't find her mate," McGonagall said, showing the rarely visible concern that she had for a select few. "She has worked so hard to get herself out of the whore house and worked so hard on her studies. To have her turn into a vampire and force her to leave the castle before her graduation, it is sad." She dabbed her lips with a napkin and pushed herself away from the table. "Perhaps I will have to have a talk with her tomorrow after the students go to Hogsmeade. There is much that needs to be discussed." The Headmaster looked down at Snape. "Thank you for doing so much to help that girl, Severus. I hope that your time has not been wasted after all."

Snape glanced at her as she walked away. "Good evening, Minerva."

Snape was allowed to eat for several moments in complete silence before he heard the loud laughter of two students who had just run into the Great Hall. Cassius and Katia, his daughter's lovers, were carrying a large basket as they approached the Slytherin House table. Neither sat down, but gathered foods which they quickly placed in the basket. It surprised Snape to see that his daughter was not with them since they had always seemed to be joined at the hip every chance that they had gotten.

The Defense Against the Dark Arts professor watched his students gather what they could, chewing slowly as he wondered where his daughter was.

_And where is the other one? _Snape wondered, watching the two turn around once their basket was heavily laden with filched food. _What are they planning?_

Cassius and Katia each took hold of one handle and, smiling, departed from the Great Hall with the same enthusiasm as they had entered. No one else seemed to notice or they simply didn't care what was going on.

Snape jumped in surprise when he felt someone's hand grip his arm. His gaze turned to the blank of one of Professor Trelawney. He frowned as he realized the eccentric woman was having a genuine psychic moment.

"Stay close to the Changeling, Severus Snape," she said in a strange voice. "Soon your eyes will be opened for the first time in your life. Happiness lies beyond the blood and in the blood. By the end of this year, two half-hearts will be complete once more. Beware anger and cling close to the Changeling. Beware."

Trelawney moved back away from him and blinked several times. Pressing her hand against her chest, she glanced around her in obvious confusion. "Umm...What did I just say?"

_That's what I would like to know as well_, Snape thought. "You were babbling, Trelawney," he told her instead. "Perhaps you have consumed too much wine tonight."

The psychic glanced at the half-empty bottle of wine that sat by her goblet. "Perhaps, I did. I did, I do believe. I do…"

Snape went back into his quiet shell as Trelawney babbled on to herself. The woman's prophecy made no sense, but he knew that there was something contained within in that was important.

_But what is it? And what does it mean?_

**OOOOOOOOO**

**A/N: I do believe that there will be a conversation between McGonagall and Avonlea in the next update where Carissa is probably not invited. I feel like Avonlea needs to have a one-on-one for the first time in a while. Please leave a review or a comment in the little box and I will do my best to get back to you soon. Thanks everyone! -Scarlet**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Hello everyone! It's time for another update, but I'd like to thank the reviewers from the last update and all of the new supporters. This update is a little bit longer than the last one and things get set into place. Please enjoy this little gift that I want to share with you.**

**OOOOOOOOO**

Katia stepped out of the dressing room for the third time that day, dressed in a green dress that complimented her eyes as well as her slim figure. "What do you think about this one?" she asked, swishing the skirt around while Carissa looked at her.

"That's the one," Carissa told her, standing in her own dress in the color of deep black. "You can wear some black gems and I'll wear some green ones to match. Okay?"

Katia nodded and Carissa's eyes turned onto Cassius. "You should wear a black suit and a green shirt, babe. That way you match us too." She waved her hand dismissively. "Go and get all of that for yourself. And try to keep that old lady from fondling you as she 'helps' you find the right size. You're a big boy and you know what size you wear in everything."

"And we're the only two ladies that can fondle you, honey," Katia added, blowing a kiss at the boy that both she and Carissa were dating.

Cassius shrugged a shoulder and turned away, heading towards the less crowded section where boys were looking through the slim pickings of formal wear. Carissa watched him for a moment before knocking on the door to the dressing room that Avonlea was trying her own dress on.

"Lea, you've been in there for ages," she complained, banging her fist against the door once more. "You need to come out here and show us the dress or I'm going to come in there and drag you out here by your hair. Which is it going to be?"

The Halfling sighed from behind the door. "I'm coming out, Carissa. You don't have the money to pay to replace the door anyway."

Carissa wagged her eyebrows at Katia, who stuffed her fist in her mouth to keep from laughing. "But the money that you're sharing with us could buy this entire store, love. Now, come on. I want to see your pretty dress."

The doorknob turned and Avonlea stepped out in a long silvery-white dress that hung low on her shoulders and clung to all the right curves. Avonlea nervously twirled her hair around her fingers, her face flushing with heat.

"Well?" she prompted, waving her free hand to encompass the dress. "What do you think, Rissa?"

Carissa waved a hand to mime cooling herself off. "Whoa. That's the dress. Right, Katia?"

The other girl nodded and Avonlea smiled slightly at her best friend.

"I don't have to alter it at all," Avonlea said, glancing down at the shimmering material. "It fits me well."

"Like it was made for you," Katia sighed dreamily. "Just for you."

"I don't think that your mate is going to be able to take his eyes off of you the entire night," Carissa said, smiling wickedly. "And he'll have a harder time keeping his hands off of you."

The color in Avonlea's face darkened as more heat rushed to her cheeks. Carissa laughed at her and pulled the girl into her arms.

"You're really pretty, Lea," she whispered. "And not just because you're part Veela. I hope that you'll enjoy the Yule Ball when it happens and hold onto the memories and feel as pretty as a girl should when dressed like this." She stepped back and looked at the tag that was attached to Avonlea's dress. "This should take a sizeable chunk out of the money that your mom sent you. Won't that make her happy?"

Avonlea nodded and smiled at her friend. "We should get out of these dresses and pay for them while there's room enough to breathe." She glanced around them. "People are getting tired of waiting for us to finish up in these dressing rooms."

The daughter of Severus Snape didn't seem to care about the people that were glaring at the small trio. She shrugged a shoulder and pushed Avonlea towards the dressing room that she had just vacated.

"I'm more concerned about your dress getting taken," Carissa said, opening the door. "Our dresses are to die for and I am not going to let someone sweep them away from our hands." She shoved Katia into another dressing room. "Girls, get changed first and guard our things. We're going to save Cassius, pay for our goods, and get out of here away from the wolves." She wagged a finger in Avonlea's face. "No arguing, Missy."

Avonlea bit her bottom lip, but didn't disobey her best friend. Carissa moved to stand guard over the two dressing rooms and glanced past the heads of girls vying for the dress of their dreams. She saw the outside world being coated with a light blanket of snow and was glad that she wouldn't have to track through a thick blanket before heading back to Hogwarts. Her eyes widened a little when she saw her father moving through the snow, head bent and shoulders hunched against the world.

_He's probably heading to the bar,_ Carissa thought, shaking her head. _But at least then he won't bring his dark cloud over our heads again._

OOOOOOOOO

Avonlea moved through the small store that contained jewelry of different fashions and colors. Cassius was standing near the front of the store, holding the dresses that Avonlea had bought for herself and her two friends. Katia and Carissa were comparing black and green jewelry, muttering about how much it would cost to get one piece over the other. They all had a pact that they would spend as much of the money that Avonlea's mother had sent as they could without becoming too laden with the finer things. And so far, they were going through the money at a reasonable pace.

She ran her fingers over a purple jeweled necklace and earring set. It was one of her mother's favorite things to do – buy jewelry that was worth more than some people made in a year. Avonlea had never been a fan of gaudy jewelry, though, barely wearing heavy gems unless her mother forced her to wear them. The thought of wearing cold metal and cold gems that were mined and that exploited poor workers made her stomach clench in uncomfortable knots.

"Found them," Carissa announced, bounding over with a heavy gold and green necklace in her hand. Katia came over with her heavy silver and black jewelry. "How about you, Lea?"

"I'm not sure what to get," Avonlea muttered, trailing her fingers over another set of jewelry. "I don't think that I should since my dress is so –"

"You have to get something," Carissa said, cutting across her friend. "Don't think that for a moment that your mother won't have someone there to take a picture of you in your complete glory."

"Mom won't hire a photographer, Rissa."

"Isn't it better to be safe than to deal with her bitchy tirade later?"

Avonlea frowned, but nodded. She smacked Katia's hand away when the girl tried to place a tiara on her head. "Don't."

Carissa reached around Avonlea and plucked up a white-gold choker necklace that held soft blue sapphires. She held the necklace next to Avonlea's neck and tilted her head to the side, biting her tongue as she did so. Avonlea stood perfectly still; suddenly unsure of what her friend was doing.

"Rissa?"

"This one," Carissa decided, lowering the necklace. "This is definitely the one necklace that you need to wear at the Yule Ball. It's perfect for you, Lea, so don't argue."

Katia bounced on the balls of her feet. "Are you sure that you don't want to wear a tiara? You could be a princess for a night."

"I don't want to be a princess," Avonlea said, gently taking the necklace from her friend. "Let's just get out of here. The expensiveness of this place is starting to bother me."

"Here, here!" Cassius called out, earning a glare from the lady that ran the jewelry store.

Avonlea hurried her group of friends up to the counter as more students funneled into the store. The price that the lady said had Katia swooning and Avonlea's stomach knotted even more to the point that she felt pain and had to place a hand against it. Cassius let out a low whistle and backed away, heading outside into the light snow.

"Fifty galleons," Carissa said as the entire group headed out of the jewelry store. "You still have fifty galleons left over, Lea. Do you want to send them back to your mother or find some other use for them?"

"Mom will kill me if I send her any money back," Avonlea said, shoving her hands into the pockets of her coat. "And I don't want to spend anything really. You guys can divvy the remainder up and buy whatever it is that you want."

Cassius draped his arm around her shoulders. "Aw, you spoil us so much, Lea. No wonder we love you so much."

"Don't push it," Avonlea muttered, shoving his arm away. She turned around and glared at the people that were walking behind them. "You lot have a problem?"

Carissa looked surprised for a moment as she turned to see what Avonlea was looking at. Two Slytherin boys from their level were standing there, smiling at the Veela Halfling.

"Speak," Avonlea ordered sharply. "Or leave us alone."

The darker of the two Slytherin boys cleared his throat and took a step forward. "We – I was just wondering if you'd like to come to the Ball with me. I hear you don't have a date yet and –"

"No. I don't have a date," Avonlea agreed, putting her hands on her hip. "And no, I don't want to go to the Ball with you. The same goes for you." Her eyes narrowed at the two boys. "Now, if you don't mind. Leave me alone and chase some other skirts because I don't enjoy your presence."

The two boys stood there, stunned. Avonlea glared at them one more time and threw her hair over her shoulder, turning back to her friends. She marched down the street with her head held high and a small sway in her hips. Her friends had to speed up to keep pace with her.

"Whoa!" Cassius said, smirking. "Remind me not to cross you when you haven't had your happy pills."

Katia nodded in agreement, straying closer to Carissa now.

"I think I'm starting to like your new attitude, Lea," Carissa said, hooking her arm around one of Avonlea's. "No more hiding. More backbone. Maybe there's a blessing in this change that you're going through, honey. I can't wait to see what happens next." She reached out and turned Avonlea's face in her direction. "Good. They're not making an appearance. They must be learning too."

The Veela Halfling freed her face from her friend's grip and bit her bottom lip, keeping her words back. Her eyes lifted when she saw the blue glow of a Patronus nearby. A cat stood there, watching her.

"Miss Raven, please come to my office," McGonagall's voice came from the Patronus before it faded away into nothingness. "Immediately."

"Uh-oh," Katia said, pressing a hand against her mouth. "Someone's in trouble."

Avonlea's mouth went dry and she pressed her hand against her stomach again, feeling the knots again. "Rissa –"

"We'll finish shopping here and bring the dresses back to the castle as soon as we can," Carissa said, releasing the Veela. "Don't worry about a thing. Minerva loves you."

_She used to_, Avonlea thought, heading out of Hogsmeade with less confidence in her step. _Before this madness started messing with her students._

OOOOOOOOO

Snape was the only one in the shady bar of Hogsmeade and he was absolutely fine with that. His eyes stayed on the bottle of fire whisky that he had ordered, but his mind was elsewhere. He had continued to have those erotic dreams that he'd been plagued with for the past few weeks, but the image of his partner was barely getting any clearer. That didn't stop him from having to take a cold shower in the morning when he woke up, completely aroused by his unknown bedmate that he knew only the body of.

Trelawney's prophecy had very little influence in getting the dreams to stop. In fact, it had added the question about how blood came into the picture. He knew for a fact that Trelawney was talking about the Veela Halfling. He knew that his daughter was the only one that supplied blood to the girl and that sated the girl's need for blood. Snape also knew that anger was starting to take over that girl's body and that she was starting the fire under his own cauldron. He had to keep that girl close to him in order to protect the school from the vampire tendencies that she was showing a little more of with every passing day.

_But there's more to the prophecy_, Snape decided, furrowing his brow as he thought about it. _There's always more to the prophecies that she gives. Why isn't the answer coming to me now? What more can I do?_

Annoyed with himself as well as the whole problem that Miss Raven was presenting herself as, Snape rose to his feet and left the bar after slapping down a few coins. The streets weren't as crowded as they usually were during a Hogsmeade weekend, but that suited him just fine, even though he'd enjoy snapping at some unfortunate student. He wanted nothing more than to go to his dungeon office and be alone in the dark, cool confines that kept him sane.

"Can you believe the nerve?" a boy from his House said to his friend as Snape neared them. "You would think that a girl like that would have been more inclined to accept my date offer. She should be begging for a date."

"It's the new hotness that she has," another boy said. "She's gotten blessed with it and now she thinks she can play games with all of us boys because we're suddenly noticing her."

"Raven is such a tease," the first boy agreed.

"She'll come around when she doesn't have a date before the Ball and then she'll come begging one of us to take her."

"I'll take her every single way that I can."

"One hundred points each from Slytherin," Snape said, glaring at the two boys who paled upon sight of him. "For lude comments about a fellow student in the presence of a professor." He held up a hand and moved closer. "If I ever hear that you have molested a female – or male – student in any fashion, I will see to it that you will always have detention for the rest of your term here at Hogwarts. Or I will expel you and have your wands snapped in half. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes sir," both boys said at the same time, shaking where they stood.

"Good." Snape lowered his hand. "Now, get back to the castle. Your Hogsmeade time has reached its end."

Like he expected, the two boys turned tail and ran back in the direction that would lead them to Hogwarts. Snape adjusted the collar of his cloak and rolled his shoulder slightly. A small smirk touched his lips.

_Maybe this journey wasn't as much of a loss as I thought_.

OOOOOOOOO

Avonlea sat with her hands clasped in the headmaster's office, staring down at the desk rather than look at the older witch across from her. Her mouth wasn't completely dry feeling now, thanks to the water that Professor McGonagall had given moments before. Yet, she still felt a little sick sitting there.

"I do not want you to think that you're in any trouble, Miss Raven," McGonagall said, watching the young witch. "I have heard from all of your professors that you are excelling in all your classes and studies. They predict that you will have the highest N.E.W.T.S scores that this school has seen in a very long time. And they are all looking forward to the day that you join the faculty body as a professor on your own."

"I didn't know that, Professor," Avonlea admitted. "I'm trying very hard to keep my grades up."

"And it shows. It shows in all that you've put your energy into." The woman sighed. "I know that you have been studying in the library with Professor Snape in order to find your mate before your next birthday."

"I have. Not recently, but I have." Avonlea looked up and brushed back a tendril of hair that fell in her face. "We have gone through every book in the library that mentions the Veela race, but nothing else has come to light."

"I am sure that you have looked diligently as you would for a grade. B ut Professor Snape has told me that you are no longer putting all of your energy into the search for answers to this problem." McGonagall leaned forward in her seat. "I have never known you to give up on solving a problem. You have always been one of the most dedicated students that I have known. Have you given up, Miss Raven?"

"I haven't and I have, Professor," Avonlea admitted, reaching for her glass of water just to have something to hold onto.

"Explain."

"I am still looking for the mate that I need to be with," Avonlea said slowly. "But I need to give up because I've found him. I've found him, so I have to stop hunting."

McGonagall lifted an eyebrow. "You have found him?"

Avonlea nodded.

"Does he know about this? Why haven't you told anyone about this?"

"Because I have to give up searching for him. And because he would never accept me as his mate." Avonlea sighed. "I found him and I can't have him."

"Why not?" McGonagall demanded.

"Because he's my best friend's father," Avonlea admitted, watching the older witch's expression. "Severus Snape is the mate that I need and cannot have."

**OOOOOOOOO**

**A/N: So, what do you think about this? Do you like it? Hate it? Want more or less of it? Please leave a review in the little box and I will try to get to you as soon as possible. Thanks for all the support! Love you all! -Scarlet**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Hello my lovely friends! It's been a long time since I last updated this story and this update, unfortunately, isn't that long. I hope that you enjoy it anyway and I'd like to thank you for the support that you've given me during this trip. Enjoy!**

**OOOOOOOOO**

Avonlea looked across the desk that separated her from the Headmaster and saw the look of alarm that filled the older woman's eyes. Her hands shook on her lap, still holding the glass of water that McGonagall had given her earlier. She couldn't believe that she had just admitted to the Headmaster something that she could barely admit to herself, but she understood that she had to come clean to the older, wiser woman because of the conditions that had been set upon her.

"Professor Snape," McGonagall said slowly as if the words were foreign to her. "Is your mate?"

"Yes, ma'am," Avonlea answered, ducking her head for a moment.

"Are you quite sure, Miss Raven? There has been no mistake…Professor Snape is your true mate?"

"I am sure. I'm surer now that I have told you, Professor." Avonlea tapped her nails against the glass. "I've tried to deny it, thinking that there was a mistake, but nothing's changed. I can't deny that Professor Snape is the mate that my blood is calling for."

"I see." McGonagall sat back in her seat and frowned. "I thought that when you found your mate, he would be somewhat closer to you in age."

Avonlea nodded. "I thought so too."

"Does he know, Miss Raven?"

"No, he doesn't know anything about it," Avonlea told the older woman. "He still thinks that I'm slacking off on finding my mate and flirting with guys that aren't the mate that I need."

"I believe we should tell him." McGonagall reached for the wand that lay on the desk in between her and Avonlea. "I could summon him here and –"

"No!" Avonlea exclaimed, dropping the glass onto the floor where it shattered loudly in sharp shards.

Professor McGonagall's eyebrows rose in surprise as she looked at Avonlea. Heat flooded the young witch's face and she quickly looked down.

"I'm sorry," Avonlea apologized, not meeting the Headmaster's gaze. "I shouldn't have yelled at you…or broken your glass, but Professor, you can't tell Professor Snape about him being my mate. You can't. I can't."

"Miss Raven, I am aware that Professor Snape is a very difficult man to deal with and that he can be rather intimidating to young people like you. But that's no reason for you to not tell him that he is the only one that can keep you from becoming a vampire. He must know."

"And he will know, but no one can tell him. Professor, in the few books that I've read, I learned that a Veela can't reveal her knowledge of her mate to the mate. He has to learn of it for himself and build a relationship with her because the only way that a Veela can stop herself from becoming a vampire is to have the complete love and willing desire of the mate." Avonlea sighed and picked at the hem of her sweater. "Our mating has to be his desire as much as it has to be mine because he will be stuck with me for the rest of our natural lives…"

"Are you sure that he doesn't already have a hunch that he could be your mate?" McGonagall asked, folding her hands on her desk. She frowned when Avonlea lifted an eyebrow. "Is it possible that the fact that you have only eased your bloodlust through the veins of Miss Marina, his daughter, has come to his attention?"

"As far as I know, he thinks that the only reason that I'm feeding my bloodlust from Rissa is because she's my closest friend." Avonlea furrowed her brow. "I don't remember reading anything that would suggest that I can only feed from the veins of blood relations of my mate. And he hasn't done any more research than I have…"

"I see. Miss Raven, I hope for your sake that Professor Snape comes into the knowledge of his true place in your life. And soon." The older woman reached across the desk and opened a small tin. "Have a biscuit or two."

Avonlea reached out and plucked up two of the chocolate sweets. "Thank you, Professor."

"If Professor Snape doesn't come to his senses in time for your seventeenth birthday, are you prepared to take the next necessary steps, Miss Raven?"

A cold feeling settled in Avonlea's gut, but she nodded. "Yes ma'am."

McGonagall rose to her feet and moved around the desk until she was standing in front of the young Veela. She placed her hands on the girl's shoulders and sighed.

"You have been such a joy to have in this school," the witch told her. "You came from a harsh background and living conditions and become one of the hardest working students that I have ever known. You are a bright young woman – one of the brightest in this world, I must say, and it would pain me greatly if I had to watch you leave Hogwarts and enter a world of darkness and death…" McGonagall squeezed the girl's shoulders. "I have faith that everything will turn out all right in the end for you."

Avonlea looked up into McGonagall's eyes, seeing pure sincerity and concern in them. "Professor, if I don't mate with him and become a vampire, please tell my friends, parent, and professors that I will miss them. Promise me."

McGonagall nodded and wrapped her arms around the girl. "I promise. And I promise that I will do what I can to make your life better – without telling the idiot that you need him."

Avonlea briefly hugged her Headmaster, unsure of how to react considering that it wasn't every day that Minerva McGonagall would hug a person. She closed her eyes against a wave of unexpected tears and breathed in the woman's warm cinnamon scent. Taking a step back, she offered a small smile at the witch.

"Thank you for the biscuits," Avonlea said, lifting her uneaten one. "And thank you for everything, Professor. I'll always be grateful."

"So will I," McGonagall said, watching her. "Have a lovely evening, Miss Raven."

Avonlea bowed her head and turned, heading down the steps from her office. She heard the portraits saying things to McGonagall, but couldn't register the words. She hurried out of the office and past the statue that blocked the door. The girl didn't stop moving until she found herself a few halls away from the Great Hall.

"Oh God," Avonlea breathed, resting her head back against the wall. "Oh God, what have I done? I admitted it to her. I admitted something that I never wanted to or think of at all. Why did I do that? How could I have done that?"

The Veela Halfling ran a hand over her face and let it rest over her eyes for several moments. She took a few deep breaths, mentally telling her body to calm down. The prickle of her fangs sharpening told her that she was failing and that she needed to work harder or risk someone seeing them.

"Calm down," she hissed between her teeth. "Calm down. You told someone that's not Rissa and that's okay. She's not going to go blabbing to anyone with the knowledge. She's not that kind of person. She wouldn't break a promise like this…Calm down right now!"

The sound of laughter flooded from the direction of the Great Hall and Avonlea lowered her hand slowly. She looked towards the heavens and shivered as she pushed herself away from the wall. It was time to get back to the routine, she knew. First she'd eat with her friends and then she would take Carissa back to their private room to talk about what had happened.

At the entrance to the Great Hall, she paused and looked up towards the teacher's table where several professors were still enjoying heaping plates of food. She scanned the long table and saw that Snape was sitting in his usual spot, huddled over his own plate and ignoring everyone around him like they didn't matter.

_And how could I ever matter to him?_ Avonlea thought, feeling the heavy weight of sadness come crashing down upon her shoulders.

"Calm down," Avonlea whispered to herself, shaking the feeling off and entering the large room. "Everything is going to be all right."

OOOOOOOOO

"You told her?" Carissa asked later that evening while Avonlea lounged on one of the sofas with a blanket pulled over her feet. "You told McGonagall about how you know who your mate is, but why you wouldn't admit it to him or anyone really?"

Avonlea nodded and sighed.

"Did the old woman use a Truth Serum on you? Or Occlumency? Or –"

"Rissa, she didn't do anything sneaky," Avonlea said softly, watching her friend pace in front of the fire. "She asked me a few questions and I answered them. I can't lie to people anymore, Rissa. Not even to you or myself." She took a deep breath. "Your father, Severus Snape, the scariest man that I have ever encountered…He is my mate and without him, I'm going to die."

Carissa threw her hands up in the air. "Hallelujah! She finally admits to the world that she knows who her mate is! We can all stop holding our breaths now! She admits it!"

Avonlea threw a pillow at her friend. "I didn't admit anything to the world. You, McGonagall, and I are the only people who know what he is to me. And I am not going to go out of this room and tell everyone that knowledge." Her eyes widened as she remembered something. "The portraits…"

"What about the portraits?" Carissa asked, plopping down next to Avonlea. "Are you going to have some painted of us?"

"No. The portraits in the Headmaster's office. They know about it too." Avonlea slapped a hand over her face once more and banged her head back against the plush arm of the sofa. "Oh God, if they start telling other portraits and those tell people…I'll be ruined and your father will kill me long before he could ever want me. Oh God, oh God, oh God."

Carissa frowned and patted her friend on the arm. "You don't have to worry about them. The portraits in the Headmaster's office hear a lot of things every day, but they don't go around blabbing about it. I'm pretty sure that your secret is safe in their hands. Or mouths…If not, I'll get McGonagall to let me poke them with a fiery tipped wand. Okay?"

"Okay."

Avonlea watched her friend rise to her feet and move over to one of the small tables that stood in the room. She came back with three bottles of nail polish and sat down next to Avonlea once more. Carissa reached out and took one of Avonlea's hands.

"I'm going to paint your nails," she said with a smile. "And you're going to tell me all about your fantasy for the Yule Ball. Leave nothing out, except for the explicit details about my father and his anatomy."

"Rissa!"

"Okay, okay. Another topic then. Talk to me about the song-house and how we're lucky enough to avoid living there for the rest of our lives." The girl lifted her eyebrows suggestively. "We could trash talk your mother. All right?"

Avonlea settled on the sofa and nodded. "All right then."

OOOOOOOOO

Soft moans escaped her lips as her small body moved under his and his lips moved over the pale column of her neck. Her fingernails dug into his back and her hand tugged at the disheveled black hair at the back of his head. He rolled his hips into hers, driving himself deep into her with each thrust. He marveled at the feeling of her smooth skin burning against his as they moved in the most carnal of dances and marked every inch of her with his lips and his hands, always pulling her closer and memorizing each line. He grunted deep in his throat as he felt her walls tightening around him as she neared the dangerous edge of sanity and knew that he would soon follow suit.

"Severus," she moaned loudly in his ear as her walls shuddered around his member, milking him of his own release. "Severus!"

Snape's eyes snapped open and he found himself staring up at the ceiling above his bed with a throbbing hard-on demanding his attention from under the sheets. His chest heaved as he fought for breath and felt the fire of his dream-partner's touch all over his skin. He narrowed his eyes as he slid his hand under the sheets and wrapped his fingers around his sensitive member, groaning softly when it echoed with the feeling of his dreamed up mate around it. He rested his head back against the pillows and stared up at the ceiling, grunting as his hand moved.

_Damn these dreams!_ Snape thought._ Damn the woman that keeps haunting me! Damn the whole female race! Damn everyone! Why can't I have one night where I don't wake up because of her? This mystery woman needs to be revealed and then removed forever. Damn her!_

**OOOOOOOOO**

**A/N: Things were revealed more in this chapter after that last cliffhanger and I'm happy with this. I usually don't write scenes of self-love, but this one for Snape had to be done in my opinion. What's your opinion? Please leave a review in the little box and I will get back to you when I can. Thank you for everything! -Scarlet**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Hello Everyone! How have you been enjoying the weather this time of year? I hope you're all handling life well. And I'd like to apologize for not updating sooner, but other projects have taken precedence (an upcoming novella and novel) and took my attention away. I have this update for you though and I hope that you stick around to read it through. Enjoy!**

**OOOOOOOOO**

Avonlea refused to look up at the faculty's table as she sat in the Great Hall with her house for breakfast the day of the Yule Ball. She just couldn't make herself look at anything but her food. Carissa had been teasing her the entire week about her admittance to McGonagall about Snape being her mate. She kept talking about how her father's gaze was softening every time that he was in the presence of the Veela-Halfling and how he kept looking at her in the moments where the class was taking notes or working on homework during study hall. No matter how many times Avonlea told her friend to stop, the dark haired girl would continue on talking about Snape.

"Oh my God," Carissa said, bumping her elbow against her best friend's side. "He just entered the hall, Lea. Look. Look."

"Kiss my ass, Rissa," Avonlea muttered, staring down at her food which was looking a lot less appetizing than it had days before.

"There he goes," Carissa whispered, elbowing Avonlea again. "You missed the way that he glared over at us."

"Seriously Carissa, please stop." The Halfling lifted her gaze to look at Cassius and Katia. "Control your girlfriend, guys. Make her stop."

"We've tried to," Cassius said, shoving a forkful of egg into his mouth. "You're seeing the results of that."

Katia leaned forward. "It was a lot worse a little while ago," she reminded Avonlea. "At least, she's not doing anything within earshot of him." She picked another piece of chicken from the large serving platter situated on the middle of the table. "And it's not like he's going to pop into anyone's head and figure out what's going on."

"And she's not really off when she's talking about the way that he looks at you," Cassius added softly.

"Yeah," Carissa agreed, she waved her fork in a vague circle. "I could really go on and on about that. Ooh! If I really wanted to be mean, I could buy a Howler and make you open it up in the middle of the Great Hall during lunchtime. Then everyone would know and you'd have to confront my father with the knowledge that you've been keeping from him. And he'd have to open his narrow little eyes to the fact that things are getting complicated."

Heat flooded Avonlea's face and she dropped her fork. "I really wish you wouldn't talk about this situation when we're among people that have no right to know what's going on." She glanced around them. "I don't need my problems to become open to the public, Rissa. It's bad enough that you let Cassius and Katia into the secret."

She didn't care that Katia and Cassius gave her a brief dirty look. It really hadn't been her idea to bring the two of them into the secret that she shared with Carissa. The dark daughter of Snape had made her tell them what was going on because she claimed that Avonlea wouldn't be able to hide it from them for very long. Especially if she and Snape got closer. They had sworn to keep the secret with a magical oath, but Avonlea still felt like she was walking on extremely thin ice with all the new people who knew about her connections to the scariest professor in the entire school of Hogwarts.

"Oh, get over it Lea," Carissa ordered, stabbing a buttered potato half with her fork. "We're all in this together. That's what best friends do for each other. We share secrets, protect each other, and borrow things with no intention of giving them back. This is just another one of those things."

Avonlea shook her head and picked her fork back up, poking it at her food with distaste. She heard the Great Hall fall silent around her. Even Peeves stopped taunting students as the Headmaster rose to her feet.

"Students," McGonagall said, standing at the podium that had so recently once been Professor Dumbledore's platform. "As you may all be aware, tonight is the Yule Ball. Now I know that you are all excited about tonight's festivities, but I must lay down some rules in order for you to attend the entire event." She gave a hard stare when some Gryffindor students booed loudly. "All outfits must be tasteful and dancing with a partner must be kept clean. I don't want to see personal body parts coming out on the dance floor – no heavy grinding or stripping, and no sexual contact will be tolerated at the Ball. The faculty will all be circulating through the lot of you and they will not hesitate to send you back to your common rooms if they see anything that goes against the code of conduct." The hint of a smile touched her lips. "Let tonight be one of the best times that you will have here and full of great memories that you may one day share with your children and your children's children."

_Like I'm going to have children_, Avonlea thought, rolling her eyes as the Headmaster took her seat once more.

Her eyes turned towards the large faculty table before she could stop herself and landed on the dark professor. More heat flooded her face when she saw that he was glancing in her direction. There was a certain bewilderment in his gaze as he looked at her that stirred in the dull hope that maybe he was coming around to the fact that he was her mate.

Avonlea quickly looked back at her food, shaking her head at how stupid she knew those hopes and thoughts really were. Snape couldn't love her if she told him what role he had to play in her life. He had to find out for himself and make the heartfelt decision to give himself up to the bond that had to form between them. All she could do was hope that he'd come to the knowledge on his own and start preparing herself for the future lying ahead of her if he never came to the realization before her Change.

_Don't get your hopes up, Avonlea. Time is ticking by too quickly and the man doesn't want to be near you. You'd better enjoy the taste of food and feel the warm glow of the sun on your skin while you can. _Her eyes narrowed at the food sitting on her fork. _Even if the food isn't as appealing as it was…You should try to enjoy it because the only thing you're going to be eating soon is the blood of your fellow man._

She ate a few more bites of her meal, but her stomach started hurting enough to keep her from thinking about eating more. Avonlea set her fork down and took a drink of chocolate milk before rising to her feet. Her friends looked at her with confusion.

"I'm not really hungry," she said to them. "I think that I'm going to go take a shower while the majority of the castle is eating their first meal." She took a step back. "We can get ready for the Ball after lunch. Okay?"

Carissa nodded. "Okay." She pointed her fork at Avonlea. "Don't do any homework while you're waiting for us. We have until the start of the next semester to do homework, dear. Tonight is our night to have fun."

_It may be my last night to have fun_, Avonlea thought sadly, but she forced a smile onto her face. "Right. Well, see you later guys."

The Veela-Halfling headed out of the Great Hall, feeling stares on her back. She shivered when she recognized the hardened glare of Severus Snape on her back, but did her best to not show that she felt anything. Avonlea held her head up high and put more confidence into her step.

OOOOOOOOO

Avonlea ran a hand over her face as she sat at the window of the common room she shared with Carissa. She had taken a long hot shower and was now waiting for her hair to dry on its own. A good luck letter from her mother was sitting in her lap, read and reread until Avonlea could see the words without looking at the paper. Her mother wanted the girl to have a Cinderella moment that night – find her mate at the Ball and have a happily ever after with him. Unwanted tears had stung at her eyes as she realized that her mother's dream would never come true.

Yes, she hated the idea that her mother only wanted her to marry a rich Pureblood and have the glory of not being in the whorehouse, but rather never working a day in her life. She had always told herself that she wasn't going to do what her mother wanted and she wasn't going to live the life that her mother lived. But now, she knew that her mother only wanted her to stand a chance in this world. She wanted Avonlea to be happy, to be protected, and to never have to fight to survive like she had. She wanted Avonlea to have the life that she hadn't been able to have for herself. She wanted her daughter to be loved every day and not be a casual, when-he-needs-me kind of girl.

Avonlea shook her head and pressed her hand against the cold glass of the window, grounding herself in the sensations of the world. "I'm sorry, Mom," she whispered, staring out into the whiteness of the snowy world beyond the castle.

The witch moved away from the window and over to the fireplace. She knelt next to it and shoved the letter onto the logs that were sitting cold and dead in the fireplace. With a prod from her wand, Avonlea had the fire ignited and sat back on her heels, watching the fire be consumed by the hungry tendrils of orange flame. Avonlea swiped her hand over her face, brushing away her tears before burrowing her lips farther into the oversized white sweater that she'd donned.

She sat there for several minutes, watching the flames without thinking about anything in particular. Her gums throbbed and she felt her fangs start to pop out. Carissa wasn't there and Avonlea didn't know when her friend would be back to get ready for the Ball. She couldn't go out into the castle to search for her and pull her into a hidden alcove for a quick bite. But Avonlea knew she needed the taste of blood. Just a small taste would have to do.

"Shit," Avonlea muttered, pulling one of her sleeves up until her forearm was bared to the world. "I hope this works."

She brought her wrist up to her mouth and bit down hard. A soft hiss bubbled in the blood that suddenly broke free from her flesh. Avonlea closed her eyes and fed on her own blood for a few moments, just taking enough to keep herself sane.

_And I fed only a couple days ago_, Avonlea thought glumly, licking the last drop of blood off of her wrist before poking her wand at the wound, sealing it off. _Is this hunger going to get really bad before my birthday? Will I be able to hold it off until the majority of the students leave for the winter break?_

"God, I hope so," Avonlea muttered, pulling her sleeve back into place.

Her fangs retreated back into her gums and the blonde sat back, watching the flames again. Drinking her own blood had calmed down everything, but she knew that it was just a bandage. Sooner or later, she was going to have to pull Carissa aside and feed from her veins. It was an unpleasant thought and she wanted to hold off on it as long as she could, especially since she wanted her best friend to have an enjoyable night. Taking care of Avonlea's unnatural hunger for blood shouldn't have to be placed on Carissa's shoulders for that night at least.

"I can hold off," Avonlea told herself, wrapping her arms around her knees. "I can make it through the night without bothering her or the others. I can make it until tomorrow and then we'll see what happens…Unless something changes everything tonight."

The Halfling blinked away a wave of tears and rested her chin on her knees. She didn't want to get her hopes up that Severus Snape would come close enough to her and realize that he was her mate. She didn't want to think about joining him in his bed – or hers- in order to save her humanity. The images of his body rolling against hers in the most carnal and primal dances flashed before her eyes, bringing forth an unwanted heat between her legs.

"No, no, no…" Avonlea whispered, fighting against her body's reactions to the mental stimuli. "It's not going to happen. It can't. It won't."

She looked up guiltily when she heard the door to the common room open. Carissa was leading her partners into the room and paused when she looked at Avonlea. Her eyes widened in alarm as she stared.

"What's wrong?" Avonlea asked.

"You didn't – you didn't go feeding on someone else, did you?" Carissa asked in a low, worried tone.

"No. Why?"

Carissa pointed. "You've got a bit of blood at the corner of your lips. Left side."

Avonlea reached up and wiped her hand over her lips. "Oops."

"Yeah, oops." Carissa moved across the room and put her hands on her hips, looking down at Avonlea. "If you didn't feed on someone else, what did you feed on?"

"Myself."

"And that helped?"

Avonlea nodded. "It helped." She forced a smile. "I can't believe I haven't thought about that when the cravings first started."

Carissa reached her hand out. "Come along, dear. We're going to start out preparations for the Ball right now. Starting with our hair and then our makeup and then we'll move onto everything else. My dad won't be able to resist you once he sees you at the ball tonight."

_I hope so._

**OOOOOOOOO**

**A/N: So what did you think about this? Please leave a comment in the review box. I think that the next chapter will deal solely with the Yule Ball and maybe there will be more action going on there, but we'll have to see when I start working on it. Thank you for your support and I hope to see you soon! –Scarlet **


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Hello my lovelies! It's been awhile, but I'm back with a new update. It's not long and it's not really action-y, but it's something. I'd like to thank those that have stuck around here in my lacking of updating and those that have supported this story. You guys are awesome! Here's your update. Enjoy.**

**OOOOOOOOO**

Avonlea stood in front of the mirror in her shared bathroom and looked at herself in the reflection. A small smile touched her face as she looked at the transformation that her figure had gone through in just a few hours. She could hardly remember ever dressing up like this. Like a princess.

Carissa had worked on Avonlea's hair for an hour, curling it and pulling back a part with a glittering hairpiece that sparkled with sapphires that sat like a tiara. Katia had taken over the makeup department, adding subtle silver eyeshadow and the barest hint of blush. She'd also applied a glossy lip stain that tasted of vanilla on Avonlea's lips before hurrying to take care of herself and Carissa.

"I look okay," Avonlea said, playing with her silvery dress' skirt. "I look okay and everything is going to be fine." Her stomach made a small rumbling sound, causing a momentary frown to pass on her face. "I can last a few more hours without feeding on Rissa. I really can. I can."

"Lea!" Carissa's voice drew Avonlea's attention to the bathroom door. "Are you done looking at yourself, Miss Gorgeous Veela? We're going to be late if you keep looking at yourself, honey." A look of concern settled upon Carissa's dark features. "Do you need a quick pick-me-up before we head down to the party? I mean, I can always tell Katia and Cassius to go on down ahead of us, if you really need to bite someone."

Avonlea shook her head and pasted a smile on her face. "I'll be okay, Rissa. Don't worry about me and my feeding issues. I can handle a few hours without wanting to bite someone's neck."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."

"Okay." Carissa held her hand out to Avonlea and pulled her from the bathroom. "I don't think my father is going to be able to keep his eyes off of you tonight. And why shouldn't he? You're beautiful and I'm gorgeous, but he only has eyes for one of us and that would be little old you, Lea."

"Rissa, I swear that if you try anything funny to get me close to Snape, I will jinx you in the middle of the dance floor and make it so that you can't stand up without falling all over the place."

"Such a nice friend," Carissa commented, still smiling wickedly.

"You're the one that chose me in the whorehouse," Avonlea reminded her, pulling her hand free from her friend's. "You didn't have to do that."

"It was worth it though."

Avonlea smiled at her friend and brushed back a strand of hair that had fallen on her shoulder, watching Carissa walk over to be with Katia and Cassius. Both of them looked lovely in their formal clothes and they welcomed Carissa with open arms. The Veela Halfling waited patiently for the hugs to be over, feeling slightly more out of the group than she normally did.

_It's because I'm getting closer to becoming a vampire and farther from being normal_, Avonlea thought, rubbing her pale arm. _It's because they represent all that I'm going to lose in a few weeks. That's all that I will never have…unless some miracle happens soon, but I don't think that it will happen. It's too late and it's too impossible…_

"Hey Lea," Carissa said, breaking Avonlea out of her thoughts. "Cassius has volunteered to be your escort down to the party and he's promised to dance with you when he's not dancing with me or Katia. Is that okay with you?"

"It is fine," Avonlea said, smiling at Cassius as he approached.

"_He's_ fine," Katia corrected, openly staring at Cassius' backside as she hooked her arm around Carissa's and Carissa nodded in agreement.

Cassius bowed slightly towards Avonlea and offered her his hand. "May I have the honor of escorting you to the ball, Miss Raven?"

A small laugh burst from Avonlea's lips as she looked at him. "You may, kind sir," she said, placing her hand in his. "Just promise me that you won't be roleplaying the doting gentleman all night long. Okay, Cassius?"

"Aw, but I've been practicing that act for the past few days." Cassius winked at her. "You don't have to worry about me, Lea. I know how to behave."

"Sure you do."

Carissa popped open the door to the private room and glanced over her shoulder at her boyfriend and Avonlea. "C'mon and get moving you two. I want to get a spot next to the band, so I can scream requests at them."

"Among other things," Katia added with a girly giggle.

The four of them moved out of the common room and headed down the spiral stairs, talking quietly. Paintings called out compliments and critiques at them as they passed. Avonlea smiled at them and brushed back her hair off her shoulders. They soon merged with the rest of the crowd as they made it to the main staircase. Girls in bright colors and men in dark tuxes channeled their way towards the Great Hall, filling the area with loud voices.

"Wow," Avonlea breathed as she and her small group stepped into the Great Hall.

Glittering Christmas trees lined the walls of the Hall, dancing with magical fairy light. Snow fell from the ceiling, but never landed on the dance floor before fading away. Candles sat on tables that surrounded the dance floor, providing a romantic touch to the place. Doors opened up to the outside world where more fairy lights danced in the bushes that sat out there.

"They really went out of their way to gussy this place up," Katia commented from beside Avonlea. "I haven't seen this place look so pretty since the Triwizard Tournament a few years ago…McGonagall knows how to decorate."

"That's a surprising trait of hers," Cassius said, escorting Avonlea over to a table that was close to the dance floor and the faculty table. "You wouldn't know it by looking at the old lady."

"Looks can be deceiving," Avonlea told him, glancing up at the faculty table.

Her eyes travelled over the adults that were dressed in festive colored outfits. They landed on the very end of the table where Snape sat, staring darkly at his empty plate. Heat flooded her face when he lifted his gaze to look at the people that were still pouring into the Great Hall, but landed longer on her.

_He doesn't know anything about his part in my life_, Avonlea thought, taking the seat that Cassius held out for her. _And God, do I want that to be a different case by the end of this night. I don't want to go into a world of darkness and blood._

"So, what shall we eat?" Carissa asked, plucking up a menu.

OOOOOOOOO

Snape was not one to party or attend a party because they were loud and full of people that he detested. But McGonagall didn't seem to care much about what he liked and disliked. With so many students habiting the Great Hall at once, the need for all of the faculty members to be there as well was a pressing issue. No one was spared from the duty of keeping the students from getting too carried away by their hormones.

_At least the food was better with this party_, Snape thought, taking a long sip of Butterbeer from his goblet.

The man set his goblet down and looked across the Great Hall as the annoying band that the kids liked played another song. The pulse of the music made the bodies of the students move as one. Snape saw several violations of the rules that McGonagall had laid out for the party, but didn't feel like getting up to deal with them at that moment. His dark eyes moved over the bodies and landed on his daughter's as she danced with her girlfriend.

The sparkle of silver danced on the dancefloor close to his daughter, attracting Snape's attention. Dancing in the arms of Carissa's boyfriend was the Veela Halfling that had been a thorn in his side since her predicament came into his life. Yet, he felt no ill will towards her as she smiled and danced with that idiot boy.

Snape couldn't tear his eyes away from the girl. Her silver dress fell low on her shoulders, baring pale skin that seemed to glow in the fairy light. It hugged her curves – curves that Snape had tried not to notice several times before. Blue gems glittered around her throat and a small tiara sat on top of her curled blonde locks.

Something stirred in Snape's gut as he watched her dance for several more heartbeats. His body wanted nothing more than to get up and cross the dancefloor and push the Veela free. He needed an excuse to send her away from his sight and hoped that she would cross some rule that would allow him to be free of her presence.

_How can such a small person get under my skin like this?_ Snape wondered, pouring some Fire Whisky into his goblet and downing it. _Why has she been able to this to me by just dancing? No one has ever gotten under my skin like she has._

Snape knew that he was lying to himself. Two women had always been able to get under his skin. First it had been Lily Evans before she went off and married James Potter. And then there had been Carissa's mother, the whore who had taken pity on him in his loneliness and fought to make him see that she could help him feel better.

_What makes this girl anything like them?_ Snape stared at the girl across the Great Hall. _She's nothing like them._

As the band's song ended, Avonlea smiled and stepped back away from Cassius. She brushed a stray strand of hair out of her face and glanced towards the faculty table. Her eyes met Snape's and widened slightly. The girl pressed a hand to the side of her neck as color touched her cheeks. She turned her attention away from Snape as she muttered something to Carissa and her lovers. Carissa nodded and returned to dancing with the other two.

Snape watched as Avonlea pressed her way through the crowd and moved out into the outside world. Moments later, another member of his house followed after her. Something felt wrong about that, causing Snape to rise to his feet and move through the crowd as well.

OOOOOOOOO

Avonlea moved into the outside world, beyond the castle's warm walls. She rubbed her arms as the cold settled upon her. Her face felt too warm as she remembered looking at Snape only to realize that he was watching her like she was fascinating. His dark gaze had burned through her and touched her with just the smallest hint of hope.

_It's really stupid for me to think that he could ever want me_, Avonlea told herself, moving through the bushes and doing her best to avoid walking in on any couples hiding there. _I'm not Lily and I'm not Carissa's mother. I'm the best friend of his daughter. That's as close as we're ever going to get and I have to learn to live with that._

Avonlea heard a twig snap behind her and she turned around, thinking that one of her friends had followed her, even though she had told them not to. She crossed her arms when she saw a tall Slytherin standing there. His eyes were staring at her, but not in fascination. There was a carnal hunger there, seeing her only as a sexual object.

"Haven't I told you that I don't want to have anything to do with you?" Avonlea demanded, wishing that she had brought her wand with her to the ball.

"You really want me to be here," the Slytherin told her, moving closer. "You're just playing hard-to-get and that comes to an end now."

Avonlea backed away from him. "I don't want you. I'll never want you."

"We'll see after I show you what you're missing," the Slytherin said, putting his hands on her.

A scream bubbled up in Avonlea's throat, but a flash of bright light released her from the Slytherin boy's hands. She fell backwards onto the ground as he was blasted into nearby bushes. Her eyes turned to see Snape standing nearby, wand in hand. Dark anger filled his eyes as he kept his wand trained on the panting boy.

"150 points from Slytherin," Snape hissed. "And you will serve detention for the rest of your time at Hogwarts." He twitched his wand. "Now, go to your common room. You are no longer permitted to attend this ball."

The Slytherin pushed himself free from the bush and skirted around the Head of House. Avonlea watched him run away like a cowardly dog until he disappeared from sight. Her eyes then turned towards Snape as he stowed his wand back into his black robes and the heat flooded her face once more.

"You're becoming more of a nuisance every day, Miss Raven," Snape said, crossing the distance between the two of them. "One might think that you are enjoying the attention."

"Sir, I'm not the kind of person that likes being the center of attention. I hate being the center of anyone's attention."

"Be that as it may, you are trouble," Snape told her, holding his hand out to help her up.

Avonlea took hold of his hand without thinking and felt a shock spread through her body as he helped her to her feet. Her eyes met his and she saw that he had felt the same shock. His eyes widened in an uneven mixture of surprise and horror.

"So," she whispered. "Now you know."

**OOOOOOOOO**

**A/N: What did you lovelies think about this update? Please leave a message in the little box and I'll try to get back to you speedily. Thanks again to everyone! -Scarlet**


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